And It's Only Summer Vacation!
by L.B.Wolfe
Summary: Marik and Bakura have been dating all school year, but now it's summer vacation. Bakura's spending his time trying to find a job. But, this is a bit difficult when your worst enemy owns half the city! Thiefshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the sequel to my first thiefshipping fic, "And It's Only Freshman Year!". I know that I just ended that story a little while ago, but I've had a few friends ask me when I was going to post this, so I figured, why not type it up now? This is the first time I've had two stories going at once, so it should be rather interesting.**

**Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, who I am not, therefore I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. Any questions?**

* * *

Marik Ishtar opened his locker for the last time on the last day of what had been the best school year of his sixteen-year-old life. Well, the last three-quarters of the best school year of his sixteen-year-old life, that is. The first part of the year he preferred to just forget about.

He had been suspended for things he didn't do, attempted suicide, spent almost a week in the hospital and been grounded for said suicide, and had failed his history project because his partner had been too worried about him to do any work! (Not that Marik was exactly _complaining_ about that last part, but history was his best subject, even if it was his least favorite after math. It would have been nice if his partner had done at least a little work.)

Sure, the first couple of months of freshman year had been absolute crap, especially for Marik, but the rest of the year had been simply fantastic. Marik couldn't help but grin when he thought about it.

"What are you smiling about?" A voice behind him asked. Marik's smile grew as he recognized the voice.

"Just remembering the good times from this year," he responded.

"I hope that _I'm_ a part of those good time."

Marik turned around to face his smirking boyfriend, Bakura Touzoku.

"Of course you are. Is there any reason you shouldn't be?"

"No, I suppose there isn't." Bakura glanced up and down the hallway. It was pretty much empty, and the few people who were left were preoccupied with cleaning out their lockers, so he dared to quickly kiss Marik on the cheek. He then continued talking as if nothing had happened. "So, any big plans for the summer?"

"Well, my sister's graduating, so my parents asked her if there was anything she wanted to do before college. She asked to visit Egypt, since she's so interested in our heritage. She was kidding, but it turns out my parent's were planning a trip there anyways, so I'll be spending a week in Egypt."

"A whole week away from me? How will you survive?" Bakura asked teasingly. Marik laughed.

"It won't be easy," he admitted. "But I guess that's what cell phones are for."

"That's true," Bakura replied, pulling out his cell phone. "And you are number one on speed-dial."

"Shouldn't that be 911?" Marik asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, you're _way_ more important than 911."

"You know, that's funny, because last time I checked, I pretty much owed 911 my life."

"Hey, I'm the one who called 911 in the first place! Are you asking me to change my speed-dial?"

"No, because then you'll be trying to call me and wind up getting an operator wondering why the hell some kid is asking them out for Friday."

"That is...probably true," Bakura admitted.

"So, since you asked me, do _you_ have any plans for the summer?"

"To tell the truth, no. I'm really just gonna be hanging around, doing nothing. Except for trying to find a job. That is my main goal for this summer."

"So you still haven't had any luck with that?" Marik asked sympathetically.

"To be perfectly honest, I really haven't been looking too hard. I've been busy with other stuff. School, chores...you." Bakura looked at Marik in such a tender, gentle way that the blond Egyptian immediately felt butterflies pooling in his stomach.

Unfortunately, the moment was spoiled by the sound of harsh, cruel laughter.

"Well, well, well, isn't this _cozy_?" Bakura rolled his eyes.

"Jerk alert," he muttered, turning to face Seto Kaiba, the richest, meanest kid in the school. The arrogant, blue-eyed, brown-haired teenager was the son of a billionaire CEO and raised to believe the same ideas as his father. Some of these ideas being that money can solve anything as long as you have enough of it, people are pawns that can be easily manipulated, the Yankees are the greatest baseball team ever and the Red Sox suck, and people who liked the same gender are pests that must be exterminated at all costs. This made Marik, the one kid in the whole school who was openly gay, the center of Kaiba's torment. However, the torture had been slightly toned down a bit over the course of freshman year. (There were rumors going around that Kaiba was secretly afraid of Bakura, Marik's bisexual boyfriend, but these rumors had yet to be proven true.)

Kaiba didn't even look at Bakura as he turned his verbal abuse on Marik.

"What are you doing here, Ishtar? Shouldn't you be cutting yourself in some back alley, hoping to carve away the remainder of your pathetic life? Or are you 'happy' with your life now?" Kaiba made sarcastic air quotes around the word "happy". He took a step closer to Marik and lowered his voice to a threatening hiss. "_No one_ wants you around here. You should have _died_ that day, but _nooo_." He turned his glare on Bakura. "_Someone_ just had to go and save his puny, pathetic life."

Marik cringed. He had grown used to Kaiba's abuse - both verbal and physical - and, since he had started dating Bakura, he had been able to ignore it for the most part, but Kaiba had hit a bit too far below the belt that time.

Marik suddenly felt a slight pressure on his shoulders. He looked up. Bakura had wrapped one arm protectively around him and was glaring openly and defiantly at Kaiba. It was a comforting gesture, yet at the same time stupid to do in front of Kaiba.

"Shut up, Kaiba," Bakura said. The rich boy smirked.

"Or what? What could _you_ possibly-Ow!" Kaiba's words were cut off as he was suddenly hit in the back of the head with something orange and round. He spun around angrily.

"Who threw that?" he demanded. Rex Raptor, a member of the basketball team, looked at Kaiba innocently from his locker across the hall.

"Sorry, Kaiba," he called, not sounding the least bit sorry. "The ball kinda got away from me. Could you toss it back?"

Kaiba growled something under his breath before turning and striding down the hallway, shoving people out of the way as he went.

"Thanks, Rex," Bakura called.

"No problem. No one can stand that guy, anyway. Unfortunatly, no one can stand up to him, either." The three boys chuckled without humor at the ironic truth in Rex's words.

"Okay, now seriously, give it back." Rex's face and voice were now dead serious as he held out his hands for his precious basketball to be returned to. Bakura bent to pick up the ball and tossed it back at Rex. Well, maybe "tossed" isn't quite the correct word to use.

"Oof!" Rex grunted as the ball smacked him hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"Sorry about that!" Bakura said. He leaned down towards Marik slightly. "I so wish someone had gotten a picture of that," he whispered in Marik's ear. When Marik giggled, he continued. "And a picture of Kaiba's face when Rex hit him wouldn't be too bad, either."

"Dude," Rex called, wheezing slightly. "You have_ got_ to try out for the softball team! or the football team. You've got a great arm!"

"Uh, thanks."

"Oh, Marik, make sure you tell Malik that me and him have got to do some one-on-one basketball this summer so that we're sure to make the team next year."

"Okay, I'll tell him."

"Alright. See ya around." Rex slung his backpack over one should and started jogging down the hall, dribbling his basketball. Bakura turned back to Marik, smirking.

"Well, then, Marik-"

"Hey, guys!" Bakura sighed impatiently.

"You and I can't get two seconds alone today, can we?" He asked as their friend Yugi Mutou came running up to them. "What do you want, Yugi?"

"Are you guys still coming over to my house tonight?"

"You bet I am and Malik's coming, too," Marik responded while Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"Would someone care to enlighten me on what it is we are talking about?" he asked.

"Oh, right, you don't know," Yugi said. "Well, at the end of every school year, everyone comes over to my house and we hang out, watch a movie talk about the school year and plans for the summer. And," he continued when Bakura opened his mouth. "Don't say you're not coming, because I've already told Ryou about it and he says that he'll drag you along no matter what."

"Well, apparently I don't have a say in anything anymore, now do I?" Bakura said. "But, if Marik's going, I _suppose_ I might be able to manage it."

"It starts at my house at seven," Yugi said, starting to walk away. "Don't forget it!"

* * *

**Well, it's longer than the first chapter for "Freshman Year" was. That's possibly a good sign. (Maybe.) Just to let everyone know, the updates with this will probably be a lot less frequent than the updates for "Freshman Year" were, because school's starting. Odd...I just now realized that I wrote a **_**school**_** fic during the summer, and now I'm writing a **_**summer vacation**_** fic during the school year...That doesn't really seem to make sense, does it?**

**R&R, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, I'm sorry this took a while. I would've gotten it up last week, but I was crazy busy. I went to visit my brother in college on Saturday, so that took an entire day, and then on Sunday I had to do homework and stuff. And I didn't have any time this week to type this up. I hate school...**

**Thanks to: seira-g, xXI. Hate. TwilightXx, Fluffy no Danna, The Awesome Alchemist, MaskYourSmile, EuphrasieTheOwl, sandydragon, and Spottedpaw13 for reviewing!**

* * *

"Hurry up, Bakura! You're so slow!" Ryou Touzoku scolded his twin brother as they walked to Yugi's house. "We're gonna be late!"

"Hey, you're the one the one who didn't bother asking me if I _wanted_ to come to this little get-together," Bakura said.

"Well, I figured that you'd wanna come just to see _Marik_," Ryou shot back. "Just think, everyone's watching a movie, you and Marik are sitting next to each other, it's getting to a really romantic part, you put your arm around him..."

Bakura smacked his now-laughing younger brother on the back of the head.

"Shut up," he growled.

"Oh, come on, I know you were thinking it, too."

"I...I was not."

"Sure, you weren't."

"Hey, guys!" The two boys turned. Their friend Katsuya Jonouchi and his girlfriend, Mai Kujaku, walked up to them. "You guys heading to Yugi's house?"

"Well, where else would we be going?" Bakura asked, rolling his eyes. He really wished he could quit doing that.

"You really should try to control that attitude of yours, Kura," Jonouchi said. "I was just trying to make conversation."

"It's a gift. Don't call me Kura," Bakura said as the four teens approached the game shop where Yugi lived with his mother, grandfather, and brother. The rest of their friends were waiting outside.

"It's about time you guys - and girl - got here!" Honda said. "We were getting tired of waiting!"

"Hi, Kura," Marik said, giving the white-haired boy a quick hug.

"Hn," Bakura muttered.

"Oh, so he can call you Kura, but I can't. I see how it is," Jonouchi said, pretending to be insulted.

"Only people I like can call me by my nickname," Bakura said. "Wait until pigs sprout wings and start flying. Then, by all means, call me Kura."

"Quick, start searching for flying pigs!" Jonouchi tilted his head up to the sky, as if searching for one.

"Why didn't you guys just go inside?" Ryou asked Honda. "That would probably be a better place to wait for us."

"We never go inside until everyone's here," Anzu explained. "That way, nobody's first and nobody's last."

"Well, everyone's here now, right? We can go in?" Jou asked.

"I'm pretty sure...I kind of lost track a little," Anzu admitted.

In the past years when they had done this, their group had consisted only of Marik, Malik, Anzu, Honda, and Jonouchi in addition to Yugi and his brother. But, through the course of freshman year, Ryou and Bakura had transferred to their school, increasing their number by two. In addition, Honda, Jonouchi, and Yugi's brother, Yami (who didn't really hang out with them at school, since he was a grade above them, but was still considered a part of their group) had gotten girlfriends, adding Miho, Mai, and Mana to their gang. If Jou's sister, Shizuka, went to their school, she would be included, but she lived with her mother, who made her go to an all-girls private school.

"Don't worry, I counted," Mana said. "Everyone's here."

"Good," Jonouchi said, knocking on the door. "I didn't feel lke waiting too much." The door was answered by Yami. He looked at Jou.

"If you're selling Girl Scout cookies, we're not interested," he said seriously.

"Hey, Yami. Can we come in?"

"I don't know. _Can_ you?" Jonouchi sighed and rubbed his forehead. Yami was the only person alive who could bug him this much. Well, except for Mai, but he supposed girlfriends were supposed to bug their boyfriends sometimes.

"_May_ we come in?" he corrected himself through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you _can_." Yami smirked as Jonouchi pushed past him, everyone else following.

"Hey, Yug! We're here - ARGH!" Jonouchi suddenly yelped and dropped to his knees, groaning.

"Are you okay?" Mai asked, bending down next to him.

"I've been better," Jou admitted, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Jonouchi had been hit where it hurts, or at least very close to it. A couple of the teens started laughing.

"What the heck happened?" Marik said between laughs. As if in answer, a small, adorable beagle puppy ran up to him and jumped against his leg, it's tail wagging at about thirteen miles a minute. "Well, who are you?" Marik asked, crouching down to pet the dog. The puppy started licking his hand as if it's life depended on it. Marik laughed, then sneezed.

"Bless you," Bakura said. Marik sneezed again. "Bless you." Marik sneezed yet again. "Bless you." Marik sneezed once again. "Okay, apparently I don't have the right kind of power to bless people!"

"It's my allergies," Marik explained, before sneezing again. "Ahh-choo!" At that moment, Yugi came in. He knelt down and clapped his hands.

"Here, boy!" he called. Almost immediately, the puppy scampered over to him. "Good boy. I see you've all already met our new puppy."

"Oh, yeah," Jonouchi said, his voice slowly returning to its normal pitch. "He and I got _real_ close." Yugi winced, then laughed.

"Sorry about that," he said, standing up and hoisting the wriggling, excited beagle pup in his arms. "He's very excitable."

Everyone crowded around, trying to pet the small dog. The poor thing was practically breaking itself in half, trying to lick everyone's hand at once.

"He's _so_ cute!" Anzu said. "What's his name?"

"I named him Atemu," Yami responded before Yugi could. Jonouchi stood up slowly, the pain apparently either gone or faded enough to stand.

"Isn't your middle name Atemu?" he asked.

"Yup."

"Self-centered much?"

"Not at all."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "For the millionth time, his name is Sennen!"

"_I_ never agreed to that," Yami replied.

"You're the only one who didn't! Me, Mom, and Grandpa all agreed that Sennen was a good name for him!"

"Well, I think he prefers Atemu. Right, Atemu?" Yami rubbed the beagle's head. Sennen/Atemu licked his hand and yipped. "See?"

"You'll have to get this little name debate settled soon," Mana said. "Poor little guy's gonna have identity issues."

"That wouldn't be a problem if _someone_ would stop calling him by the wrong name!" Yugi set the puppy on the ground and shot Yami a look.

"Exactly, so stop calling him Sennen already!" Yami's comeback earned a few laughs as everyone headed into the living room behind the game shop, with the puppy following. Marik sat on the couch, with Malik and Bakura on either side of him. Ryou caught Bakura's eye and winked, causing Bakura to glare at his younger brother.

Sennen/Atemu jumped onto the couch next to Malik.

"No, Sennen. Down." Yugi lifted the small dog and placed him on the floor. "We're trying to train him to stay off of the furniture," he explained as the naïve little puppy jumped back onto the couch and rested his head on Malik's knee. The sight was enough to make all the girls (and a few guys) "awww."

Malik scratched the puppy behind the ears, then looked at Yugi.

"What sort of leash do you use for him?" he asked. Yugi blinked, puzzled.

"Huh?"

"Do you have a clip-on leash, or one of those chain-collar things?"

"Um, we have a clip-on."

"Can I see it?"

"...With you, I've learned it's safer not to ask," Yugi said, standing and leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with a red clip-on leash.

"Here," he said, handing it to Malik.

"Thanks." Malik took it with one hand and grabbed Marik's shirt collar with the other hand.

"Hey!" Marik yelled as his brother clipped the leash onto his shirt.

"Here you go, Bakura." Malik handed the leash to the white-haired teen, who had been watching the scene with obvious amusement.

"Why, thank you, Malik," Bakura replied, accepting the leash with a grin. Marik reached back, trying to unhook the leash, ignoring everyone's laughter.

"Very funny," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, Marik, didn't you hear our rule about no dogs on the furniture?" Yami said.

"Oh, I don't think that matters. You see," Bakura dropped the leash and pulled Marik onto his lap. "Marik is a lap dog."

Marik's face turned red and he squirmed, trying to pull out of Bakura's grip. He fell to the floor, making everyone laugh harder.

"_Not_ funny!" Marik protested, sitting up. Bakura patted Marik's head.

"Then why are _you_ laughing, too?"

"Okay, maybe a little funny," Marik admitted, sitting back on the couch. Bakura reached for the leash which still hung from the Egyptian boy's shirt, but Malik grabbed it first.

"Alright, you took him for a walk, now give him back!" he said.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who gave me the leash in the first place, Malik."

"Yeah, because I didn't think you'd pull a stunt like that!"

"A stunt like what, exactly? Having a bit of fun with my boyfriend?"

"He may be your boyfriend, but first and foremost, Marik is _my_ little brother!"

"So?"

"_So_ I don't quite like it when you pull something like that with him, much less when I'm around!"

"I don't even think we need to watch a movie," Jonouchi said. "This is the best entertainment I've had in months."

"Stay out of this!" Malik and Bakura snapped. Marik sighed and unhooked the leash, tossing to Yugi.

"There's a reason I have to sit between them," he muttered. "So they don't wind up strangling each other."

"Wait, I'm confused," Anzu said. "Malik, I thought you and Bakura were friends."

"We are. There's just some times when I have to switch to 'protective older brother' mode and hate his guts. It's complicated," Malik explained.

"I really don't see you as the type to protect anybody, Malik," Yami commented.

"Why do you think he drives me crazy?" Marik said. "He should leave the 'protective older brother' business to Odion."

"Hey, Odion is not your twin, okay? We have a bond," Malik stated. "I wouldn't want anything - or any_one_," he added with a glare at Bakura. "To hurt you."

"Says the guy who pushed me out of a tree when we were five, causing me to break my arm."

"Why do you keep bringing that up?"

"Because you purposely shoved me out of a tree because I was just a little bit higher up than you."

"It was an accident!"

"You asked me if I was holding on, and when I said no, you shoved me as hard as you could!"

"You know, I think you're right, Jou. This _is_ more entertaining than a movie!" Honda remarked. "Only thing missing is popcorn."

"If you think it's entertaining _now_, you should spend a day at our house," Marik said."It's like a bad sitcom or something."

"Is there such a thing as a _good_ sitcom?" Yami said, glancing at the clock. "And speaking of tv, we should probably start the movie soon if we want it to be finished before midnight. Yugi?"

"Oh, yeah." Yugi picked up a DVD. "I was thinking we could watch this," he said, holding it up. "RENT, filmed live on Broadway."

"Broadway?" Jonouchi asked, raising and eyebrow skeptically.

"Uh-huh. It's a musical."

"Uh, any other choices?" Malik asked.

"It's really good! It's about this group of friends living in New York City in the 1980's and all the problems they have to go through in one year!"

"Well, it certainly sounds intriguing," Bakura remarked sarcastically.

"I picked it out for a reason!" Yugi said, starting to sound a bit hurt.

"What reason?" Anzu asked.

"Well, I know it sounds a bit silly, but I picked it out because the characters and all they go through sort of remind me of us. Of our group of friends."

"What do you mean?" Mana asked.

"Well, I'm kind of like Mark, for example, because I'm usually just the quiet observer who wonders how he got mixed up in this mess. Yami is Roger, because he wears leather, plays guitar, and was slightly afraid of talking to Mana when she moved here. Mana is Mimi, because she's outgoing and funny and, to be honest, she's Yami's girlfriend, so it'd be kind of weird to give someone else that part. Jonouchi is Maureen - "

"Whoa, whoa, wait. I'm a _girl_?"

" - Because he's loud and like to be the center of attention at all times. Anzu is Joanne, because Jou is always annoying her, but she still tries her best to keep calm through it. And..." Yugi hesitated as he looked at Marik and Bakura. "I can kind of see you two in Collins and Angel."

"Dibs on Collins, because he's most likely the guy, and I think everyone can agree that Marik is much more effeminate than me."

"Actually, they're both guys. Angel's a transvestite."

"Well, in that case, I definitely have dibs on Collins."

"Wait. This play has a transvestite? Seriously?" Honda said.

"Yup. It also has drugs, people dying, homeless people driven out of their lot, people with AIDS - "

"It sounds like someone just went out and filmed a day in New York City," Ryou said. "Why would someone make a play like that?"

"More importantly, why are we Collins and a transvestite?" Bakura said.

"Well, to answer Ryou's question, the creator of the play, Johnathon Larson, wanted the play to relate to real life. Everyone in the play represents someone in Larson's life! And to answer Bakura's question..." Yugio thought before answering. "I guess it's because to me, you guys have the hardest lives out of anyone else, but you just take each day as it comes, and nothing really seems to matter to you as long as you have each other." Malik made a gagging noise, which everyone ignored.

"I think this play sounds pretty interesting. Although I'm not happy about being the transvestite..." Marik looked at Bakura.

"Oh, come on, you are more girly than me and we all know it. Random people see you on the street and think, 'Is that a guy? He's very girly-looking'."

"..."

"...Well, am I wrong?"

"Let's just watch the movie, Yugi," Marik said, turning his gaze back to the shorter boy. Yugi put the movie into the DVD player and hit "play" when the menu came up.

For the first few minutes, everyone kept interuppting the show with their own little comments on it. But, one by one, they all fell silent as they were sucked into the world of an out of luck filmmaker and his struggling songwriter roommate.

About halfway through the show, a timer for intermission appeared on the screen. The sight of it snapped everyone back into reality.

"Do they really need to show the bloody _intermission_ on the DVD of the play?" Bakura grumbled. "Seriously, what's the point?"

"I think it's cuz the show itself is so long and they decided to add the intermission in case the person watching it needed a break and didn't want to pause it," Yugi said. "So, what do you guys think of it so far?"

"Well, with all the stuff you said was in it, I expected it to be all dark and gloomy, but it's actually pretty upbeat," Ryou said. Yami laughed.

"Just wait for the second half of the play," he said. "That's a wake-up call for you."

"Why, does stuff get bad?" Jonouchi asked.

"Well, let's just say I feel bad for Marik."

"Why me?"

"Well, Yugi (and Bakura) said you were Angel, right?"

"Yeah...what happens to Angel?"

"You'll see."

"Hey, while we're kind of on the subject, Yugi, you said that the main characters reminded you of our friends, right?" Honda asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, that Benny guy...who's he? I can't think of anyone we hang out with who's that much of a creep."

"Hmm. Let's take Benny's characteristics. He used to be friends with everyone, but stopped when he figured it was uncool. He tries to bribe people into doing what he wants. He - "

"He's a dick," Bakura interjected. Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, that, too," Yugi said. "Think about all those things and tell me the first person who comes to mind. It should be pretty simple when you think about it. Right...Marik?" Yugi looked at Marik. Marik looked at Bakura. Bakura looked at Marik. One name left everyone's mouth at the same instant.

"Kaiba."

* * *

**Not a bad chapter, if I do say so myself. It took longer than it should have to type up, but I'm really tired right now, so that might have something to do with it. Plus my best friend gave me a cold, so stopping to constantly blow my nose probably slowed production down a bit, too.**

**For anyone who hasn't seen RENT, it's a really awesome play, but really not very appropriate for younger viewers. My school did it for a play last year, and it was watered down a LOT! For anyone who HAS seen RENT (let's see how many there are...probably none...) I used the original Broadway filming, not the movie version. I've never seen the movie version, just the Broadway one. That and the Wicked soundtrack were the best presents I got for my birthday...**

**R&R, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ugh...that's all I can really think of to say. This week has been pretty stressful for me. School and all that jazz. Plus, I have this geometry test on Monday. I do not understand the stuff at all, and the teacher says it's the easiest geometry test we'll be taking all year. If she's right...I'm doomed, let's just leave it at that. Oh, boy...I can't wait for drama club to start up...**

**Thanks to: seira-g, The Awesome Alchemist, EuphrasieTheOwl, sandydragon, Fujimori Chikaru, Spottedpaw13, and VampirePrinssess for reviewing!**

* * *

Marik, Malik, Bakura, and Ryou decided to walk home together after the movie ended. Marik and Malik's house was closer than Bakura and Ryou's apartment, so they headed there first. Somewhere along the way, Marik had intertwined his fingers with Bakura's. Choosing to ignore the grins from Ryou and the glares from Malik, Bakura held Marik's hand, fighting to keep a grin off his face.

"So, what'd you guys think of the movie?" Marik asked.

"I thought it was pretty good," Ryou said. "At least it had a somewhat happy ending."

"I still say someone shoul've punched Benny in the nose," Malik said. "I hated that guy."

"I think everyone did," Marik said. "What about you, Bakura? Did you like it?"

"It was okay, I suppose. Better than watching one of those stupid movies where the plot is completely see-through and everyone gets what they want at the end."

"Roger and Mimi got what they wanted," Ryou pointed out.

"Yeah, but Collins and Angel sure didn't."

"Right," Marik agreed. "Am I the only one here who cried at that part?"

"No, I cried. You're not alone," Ryou said.

"Basketball players _don't _cry," Malik boasted.

"Unless they lose the championship," Bakura muttered. Malik glared at him and he laughed. "Come on, Malik, I saw you wiping your eyes during the movie."

"It was too dark. How could you possibly have seen it?"

"I didn't. But you just admitted to it." Bakura smirked. He let go of Marik's hand in favor of wrapping his arm over the smaller boy's shoulders, just to annoy Malik. "I actually think that I'm the only one who _didn't_ cry. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty sad, I suppose, but I do not cry."

"He doesn't," Ryou said. "I can't remember ever seeing him cry. Not even when - " he stopped.

"Not even when what?" Malik asked.

"Not even...not even when we were really little and our grandmother died," came the mumbled response.

"Oh. Well, that's just weird, dude. You never crying, I mean. everyone cries at some point. Even my _dad _cries. He cried when Odion went to college, and he's probably gonna cry when Ishizu goes to college this year," Malik said.

"I'll bet he'll be happy to get rid of you, though," Bakura said.

"I'll take offense to that tomorrow," Malik said. "Because our house is right up there. So get your arm off my brother before I snap it like a twig."

"I'd like to see you try," Bakura shot back, sliding his arm off of Marik's shoulders, brushing his fingers across Marik's back ever so slightly. Marik blushed and Bakura smirked. He leaned down and kissed Marik. Ryou grinned and Malik glared.

"'Night, Marik," Bakura said when he pulled back.

"You should probably get out of here before smoke starts pouring out of Malik's ears," Marik said with a smile.

"Now _that _would be interesting to see." Before Marik could respond, Bakura kissed him again, wrapping his arms around Marik's waist. Ryou couldn't help but laugh at the look of total anger and shock on Malik's face.

"Okay, that's enough!" Malik grabbed Marik's arm and pulled him away from Bakura. "It's fine if you want to do that, just not in front of me!"

"I think he's jealous because he doesn't have a girlfriend," Marik teased. Malik's face reddened.

"I am not! It's...come on, Marik, let's get inside!"

"Bye, Ryou, bye, Bakura!" Marik called as he followed his older twin into their house. Bakura and Ryou started walking towards their apartment building, a few blocks away. Bakura turned to Ryou.

"So, when didn't I cry?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Our grandmother died before we were born, Ryou. What were you really gonna say?"

"Um...w-when our father, um...hit you."

"Oh. Right." Bakura stared straight ahead and started walking faster.

"Kura!" Ryou jogged to catch up with his brother. "Please don't be mad, I just forgot - "

"Shut up, Ryou. I'm not mad. I just try not to think about...him."

"I'm sorry, Kura. I forgot that they don't know..."

"Marik does. He's the only one I can trust around here. I told him everything. And he told me everything. We don't keep secrets from each other."

"Oh...right. I should've known you'd tell him, at least. But still, I'm really sorry, Bakura. I should've thought before talking."

"Ryou. Drop it. Seriously. I'm not mad, I'm just trying to forget." Ryou looked down.

"R-right. Forget I said anything."

"You said something?"

"No..." '_Bakura's weird,' _Ryou thought. _'He changes moods faster than I can think. Not only is he bisexual, he's bi_polar!'

"Hey, did you remember your key?" Bakura asked suddenly.

"I thought you were bringing _your_ key."

"I forgot it."

"Well, I didn't bring mine, because I figured you had yours!"

"Ryou, you should know by now not to trust me to do _anything_! I mean, we've only spent sixteen years with each other!"

"Well, maybe Mom's still awake. She'll let us in." Ryou looked at his watch. "What time does she usually go to bed?"

"Ten, but it's bill night, so it'd probably be closer to eleven. What time is it now?"

"Quarter past eleven." The white-haired twins looked at each other. It would take them at least fifteen minutes to get home, and their apartment was on the fifth floor, so it would take them a few minutes to ride the elevator. There was the slightest chance that their mother was still awake, but it wouldn't last too much longer. And, once she fell asleep, there would be no waking her until morning, since she was the heaviest sleeper ever. There was only one thing to do...

"_Run!"_ The two boys took off. They couldn't help but laugh as they charged through their neighborhood, guided by the glow of the street light.

"Just think, Bakura," Ryou said. "If the first night of summer vacation was this great, it seems like nothing could go wrong for the rest of the summer!" Silence. "...Right? ...Bakura?"

"...Yeah. Nothing. Come on, you were complaining about me be slow earlier! Pick up the pace!"

Something in Bakura's tone told Ryou that he was purposely changing the subject. A deep feeling of foreboding began to pool in Ryou's stomach.

"_Knock it off!"_ he scolded himself. "_Bakura's just acting weird because I mentioned Dad, and the movie reminded him a bit of what we're going through now. Nothing's gonna happen! I just know it..."_ The feeling in his gut told him otherwise, but he shook it off as he raced after his older brother.

* * *

**I really don't know what to classify this as. It's not exactly filler, but it's not exactly crucial to the plot, either. I don't know what you'd call it, but R&R, anyway, please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Remember that test I mentioned? I got a 67 out of 100, which is actually higher than I expected. Well, at least it's passing. I should be thankful for that alone. Even if it is only two points above passing. At least I understand the current material a bit better. I hate math...at least I'm reading Edgar Allen Poe stories in English. The man is a genius, I have to say. I wish I could write horror as good as him...**

**Thanks to: The Awesome Alchemist, seira-g, VampirePrinssess, xXI. Hate. TwilightXx, and sandydragon for reviewing!**

* * *

"Man, why do high school graduations always take _forever_?" Malik complained. "Why can't they just say 'These people graduated, these people got these awards, congratulations, follow your dreams, you'll get all your diplomas and stuff in the mail'? That would make things so much more bearable."

"You think it's bad now?" Odion asked. "Wait until _your _graduation. Then you've gotta sit there the whole time and actually pay attention and not play 'rock, paper, scissors' with Marik. And keep losing every round."

"Hey, I won a few rounds!"

"I had to let him win, otherwise I'd be hearing about it all week," Marik said.

"Hey! You did not let me win, okay? I let you win all those times!"

"Sure. You keep believing that, if it makes you happy."

"Is arguing the only thing you two know how to do anymore?" Ishizu asked, turning around to look at her younger brother.

"It shows how much we love each other," Malik said innocently, grabbing Marik's head and hugging it to his chest.

"Let me go! I can't breathe!"

"That would be the point, wouldn't it?"

Odion sighed. "Let him go, Malik. He's the only younger brother you're ever gonna get."

"Especially considering how old Mom and Dad are," Malik muttered, releasing Marik's head. "Speaking of Mom and Dad, where _are_ they, anyway?"

The four Ishtar children were sitting in their van, waiting for their parents. Malik and Marik were in the back, Ishizu was in the middle, and Odion was in the driver's seat. (He wasn't planning on driving home, he just felt like sitting in the driver's seat.)

"THey're probably still talking to the people _they _graduated with, reminding themselves of how old they are," Marik said.

"It's taking them forever!" Malik complained. "It's been, like, fifteen minutes! I'm starving!"

"_You're _starving? I didn't eat any breakfast!" Marik said.

"What else is new? You _never _eat breakfast!" Malik shot back.

"Just give them a bit of time to talk," Ishizu said. "They won't be too much longer."

"That's what they said when they told us to wait in the car! How much longer are they going to take?"

"Honk the horn, Odion!" Marik suggested.

"Oh, yeah! Maybe they'll finish up sooner!" Malik agreed. Odion rolled his eyes.

"I'm not honking the horn," he said. "That would be a very impolite thing to do."

"Oh, so it'd be _polite _to let us die of hunger back here while we're waiting for them to finish up with whatever the hell it is they're talking about?" Malik asked. Ishizu reached back and hit Malik with her graduation cap.

"Don't swear," she scolded. Malik rolled his eyes.

"'Hell' is not even one of the worst swear words, sister. Besides, I was joking around. If I had really meant it, I would have said, 'whatever the f -'"

"It doesn't matter," Ishizu interrupted. "They are all virtually the same thing."

"Well, excuse me, little miss valedictorian."

"Please stop calling me that."

"Why? The family genius doesn't like her brains?"

"Maybe you should give some of your brains to Malik," Odion suggested. "He could use them more than you."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounded like."

"Hey, Mom and Dad are coming back!" Marik said, pointing out the window.

"Oh, _finally_!" Malik cried. Odion rolled down the window.

"You might want to walk a little faster there, Hank**(1)**," he called. "Your two adorable sons are getting restless."

"Maybe my two adorable sons should learn how to be more patient," Mr. Ishtar replied. "And what are you doing in the driver's seat?"

"I dunno. Felt like sitting here." Odion got out of the van and climbed into the middle, next to his sister. "And I don't even think that the word 'patient' is in their vocabulary, Dad."

"It is so!" Malik protested. "A patient is a person who goes to the doctor when they get sick." Marik facepalmed.

"That is _not_ what 'patient' means!"

"It's one variation of the word!"

"It's not the one they were talking about, basketballhead!"

"What did you just call me?"

"Boys, enough!" Mr. Ishtar scolded. The twin brothers stopped mid-fight.

"Sorry, Dad," they said in unison.

"Someday I hope that the two of you have kids that put you through everything you've put me through," their father said.

"Grandma says she used to tell you that," Malik said.

"Good luck with that, Dad, because neither of us will ever have kids. No girl would ever _want _to have kids with Malik - "

"Hey! Uncalled for!"

" - And I can't have kids anyway. That'd be just scary. And wrong."

"And disgusting," Malik added, screwing up his face.

"That, too."

"Well, while it's true that you aren't able to biologically have children, you could always adopt one someday," Mrs. Ishtar pointed out.

That was too much for Marik. He burst out laughing, covering his mouths with his hands in an attempt to muffle the noise. Malik looked at him a bit nervously.

"He's gone psycho..."

"Marik. Breathe," Odion said. "It's not that funny. I'm pretty sure it wasn't even _meant _to be funny." Marik's laughter slowed until it finally stopped.

"I could never adopt a kid!" he said. "I would have no clue how to take care of it, especially if it was a girl, not to mention the fact that Bakura wouldn't allow it!"

"You've got that right," Malik agreed.

The subtle exchanging of glances between his parents did not go unnoticed by Marik.

"What is it?" he asked. Mr. Ishtar turned his attention back to the road, and Mrs. Ishtar turned in her seat to smile gently at her youngest son.

"Honey, don't take this the wrong way. Your father and I are very happy that you've managed to find someone who cares about you so much, but we don't want you to get too serious about Bakura. The two of you are still very young, and I know that it seems like love, it's only - "

"Only infatuation," Marik finished, rolling his eyes. "I know, Mom. I've heard the speech before."

Marik knew that it was no good trying to explain his feelings to his parents. They didn't understand just how strongly his feelings for Bakura were, and he was pretty sure that Bakura's feelings were just as strong. Marik had had a few crushes in the past, but they had all been a mere ember when compared to the raging inferno he felt for Bakura. Bakura was kindling, and every glimpse or thought of him fed the flames all the more. Not to mention that whenever they kissed, Marik felt as though he would be consumed, body, heart, and soul, by the intense, searing heat. Marik was a walking furnace, never to be cooled as long as Bakura was around.

Great, now all he could think about was Bakura. Marik gazed wistfully out the window, without seeing anything. He wasn't exactly hungry anymore, not for food, at least. Part of him almost wished that he didn't have to go home and pack for vacation. He wanted to see Bakura. He needed to see Bakura. He had to see his boyfriend.

"_Boyfriend_," he thought. No matter how many times he tried out the word, he could never quite get used to it. For the first few weeks after he and Bakura had started going out, Marik had laid awake late into the night, whispering, "I have a boyfriend," into the darkness. It was strange...but a _good_ kind of strange.

"Earth to Marik! Yo, you still with us, or did your brain fly to Mars, leaving your body behind?" Marik was jolted out of his thoughts by his twin brother's voice.

"Huh?" He blinked. "Sorry, I must've zoned out."

"Well, we're home, so you can stop being zoned!" Malik said. He then turned serious. "What were you thinking about?" he asked as they climbed out of the van and headed towards their house. "Or rather, who were you thinking about?"

"Um...Bakura," Marik muttered. Malik frowned and grabbed his brother's arm, causing him to stop. "What?"

"Marik, listen to me. I agree with Mom and Dad when they say that you shouldn't get too serious with Bakura. I know that he makes you happy, and for the first time in a while it seems like your life doesn't suck, but...just be careful, okay?"

"Wat do you mean by 'be careful'?"

"Just saying that if he tries anything involving your, erm, virginity, his head is mine."

"Ugh, Malik, that's disgusting!" Marik cried, screwing up his face. "How would that even _work_**(2)**?"

"I honestly don't know either, but I'm sure there's a way. But seriously, don't get too involved with Bakura. You never know what could happen."

"Like losing my innocence, which I'm not even sure is possible between two guys?"

"There's that, and there's the fact that either you or him could move, or get hit by a car, or just plain lose interest in each other. I just don't want you to be hurt, is all." Malik broke the seriousness of the moment with a smirk. "Just keep reminding him that your big brother will personally kick his ass if he ever hurts you."

"Or steals my viginity, right?"

"Will you stop mentioning that? It was uncomfortable enough the first time!"

"Hey, _you're_ the one who brought it up in the first place!"

"And now I regret it because you keep talking about it!"

"Guys?" Odion leaned out the front door. "I don't know what you're talking about, but could you perhaps continue your conversation inside, while you're packing?"

"Coming, Odion," Marik said. He pulled his arm out of Malik's grip and started for the house.

"What were you guys talking about, anyway?"

"Nothing," the two boys said quickly, heading upstairs to start packing for their vacation.

* * *

**(1) I kind of borrowed LittleKuriboh's name for Marik's father, since Takahashi never actually gave him a name.**

**(2) Marik is rather naïve, isn't he? I'm trying to make this story seem as realistic as possible, and I'm pretty sure that most (normal) teenagers don't know how actual sex between two guys would work.**

**Yeah, things may seem a pretty happy now, but don't worry. There will be plenty of angst in a few more chapters. (Actually, there's quite a bit in the next chapter, now that I think about it...)**

**Halfway through typing this chapter, my cat decided to jump up on my lap. Anyone know how hard it is to type with a cat on your lap? Very annoying. but she's so darn cute! And now I'm just rambling.**

**R&R, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I promised you guys some angst, so here's a bit of angst! Enjoy!**

**Thanks to: EuphrasieTheOwl, seira-g, xXI. Hate. TwilightXx, sandydragon, SheepAteMyFanboys, and VampirePrinssess for reviewing!**

* * *

"Mail call." Bakura dropped a few envelopes in front of his brother before sitting down and opening the newspaper, flipping straight to the job ads.

"Oh, boy, here we go." Ryou sighed and picked up the small stack. "Let's see...bill, bill, bill, bill..."

"Please tell me we just got our neighbor Bill's mail again," Bakura said, not looking up. Ryou grimaced.

"I wish. And look at this." Ryou held up a piece of paper. "Mr. Sprutzenheimer**(1)**, the building manager, sent a notice to everyone in the building. Rent's due June eighteenth."

"I figured."

"Think we'll make it?"

"Don't worry, Ry. We'll be fine. But we'll be even better when _I _find a job."

"But, what if you can't find a job? Kaiba hates you, remember? And he pretty much owns this town..."

"Ryou, just relax."

"I don't want to have to move again, Bakura. Mom's working two jobs and we're still having a hard time making ends meet."

"Ryou, don't worry. I'm gonna find a job and everything's gonna be fine. We're not gonna have to move again, you'll see. Besides," Bakura continued with a small grin. "There's a reason I need to stay in this city, and I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that we're able to stay here."

"Because of Marik?"

"You know it."

ryou sighed. "Kura-kun, you really shouldn't get too serious about Marik. I mean, anything could happen-"

"You think I don't know that? Why do you think I'm trying so hard to get a job and stay in this city?" Bakura glanced back down at the newspaper. "If I don't find a job, it'll be hard for Mom to pay the bills and the rent, not to mention our college funds, even though she is working two jobs now. I want to do _something_ that doesn't involve sitting around and feeling useless, Ryou!"

"You're not useless, Bakura," Ryou said as the phone rang. "And I'm glad you've managed to find someone like Marik." Ryou stood up and went to answer the phone. "Hello?" His expression quickly turned into a mixture of shock and confusion. "Uh, hi, Dad."

_What?_ Bakura's head shot up, his eyes dark with firey rage.

"Hang up!" he hissed through gritted teeth, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails threatened to break skin. Ryou shook his head violently, the shock gone from his face and just pure confusion filling it.

"Um, yeah, everything's fine, Dad. Summer vacation just started... Yeah, we like it here... No, no I'm dating anyone... Bakura? Well..." Ryou raised his eyes to his twin, who pulled the newspaper up to hide his face. "Uh...Bakura can't talk right now...but, yes, he has been seeing someone."

Bakura's spine involuntarily stiffened. "_Don't say it's a guy, don't say it's a guy, don't say it's a guy," _he mentally told Ryou. (For the first time in his life, he actually wished that twin telepathy was real.)

"Well, uh, not exactly...yes. It is a guy..."

"God dammit, Ryou!" Bakura muttered. He hadn't been speaking that loud, but apparently Ryou had heard him.

"Um, Dad, I've gotta go... What?... Really? Uh, okay, sure. Bye." Ryou hung up the phone. "Bakura, I am so sorry-"

"What'd you tell him that for?"

"He, um, he caught me off guard. I couldn't think clearly."

"Hmph. What did he want, anyway?"

"Uh...well, h-he wanted to know how we were." There was an uncomfortable silence.

"...You're _kidding_." Bakura angrily threw the paper to the floor. "That...that _bastard_ abuses us for most of our lives before dropping off the face of the earth, never bothering to do anything to help out with our financial situation, and then he has the _balls_ to call us up now and ask how we are?" Bakura's voice got louder and louder until he was practically shouting.

"Bakura, please, lower your voice!" Ryou pleaded. "I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't _mean to_? Don't give me that load of shit, Ryou! Even if the bastard _did_ call for no reason, I'd think that you'd have the _brains_ to think, 'Hey, Bakura doesn't like this guy. Maybe I shouldn't tell him that the person he's dating also happens to be a guy,' but apparently, I was wrong about that, too!" Bakura knew that he was being unfair. So why didn't he stop yelling at his little brother, who looked ready to cry at any moment? Just because he was angry at his father, it didn't mean that he had to take it out on Ryou. Did it?

"Gah!" Bakura whirled around. "I'm going out for a while."

"Bakura, wait." Ryou's voice was hesitant, a bit frightened after his brother's outburst. "Um...Dad said that he's going to be in town for a month or so on business. And...he'd like to see us during that time."

Bakura froze, one hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he raised his eyes up to meet Ryou'd. Had he actually heard that _correctly_?

"_What?_" he growled. "Are you_ kidding _me? After all this time, he suddenly _cares_ about us? You've got to be kidding me, Ryou! What, now he actually want to try and be the father that I never had?"

With that, Bakura yanked open the door and stormed out of the small apartment, making sure to slam the door behind him. Ryou sank down onto the couch, tears trickling out of his chocolate-brown eyes. He felt _horrible_. What had possessed him to tell their father what Bakura obviously didn't want to share with him? Had it really just been shock, like he said, or had it been something else? Could it have been the small part of him that longed for a father to tell everything to, like all his friends?

"I'm an idiot," Ryou said miserably. "I've gone and gotten my own brother mad at me. You're not useless, Bakura," he continued, tears falling faster. "_I'm_ useless. I can't do anything right!"

* * *

**(1) This was my brother's idea. I was having trouble coming up with a last name, so I told him to come up with a random name and he immediately said "Sprutzenheimer." That's my brother for you.**

**Aww, poor Ryou. I felt bad for him while writing this chapter. Bakura must really hate his father, if he made Ryou cry.**

**R&R, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I really have nothing to say right now. I could probably rant about not having anything to say, but I won't.**

**Thanks to: The Awesome Alchemist, xXI. Hate. TwilightXx, seira-g, EuphrasieTheOwl, and VampirePrinssess for reviewing!**

* * *

Bakura aimed a furious kick at the unfortunate pebble on the ground before him. He had no idea where he was going. He would normally head to Marik's house, but Marik had left earlier in the day for his vacation. And there was no way that Bakura was going back to his own apartment anytime soon. He didn't want to have to put up with Ryou crying and trying to apologize for the rest of the day. He would wind up yelling again and Ryou would think that Bakura was angry with him. Which he was. Kind of.

Was he really angry at Ryou, or at his father? Was he even angry? Or was he just refusing to accept that his father had returned, _knew that Bakura was dating a boy,_ and wanted to see Bakura and Ryou after all this time? His father hadn't even _known_ that Bakura was bisexual, and now he was suddenly appearing out of nowhere, wanting to see his kids that he had barely even acknowledged when he _was_ around?

"Bastard," Bakura growled under his breath. "The day he left was one of the greatest days of my life, and now he decides to come back and spoil everything?" Bakura was suddenly sruck by another, rather unpleasant thought.

"If he asks to meet Marik, I'm gonna kill him," he said, slamming his fist into his other hand. If his father was going to be in town for a month, and if Bakura was going to be forced to see him, the chances were pretty high that the absentee parent was going to be curious about Bakura's new romance. There was no way that Bakura was going to allow that creep within a 100-foot radius of Marik. His mother had only met Marik briefly once or twice, and Bakura actually liked his mother, so ther was no way that he'd let his father meet him.

Bakura sighed heavily. Now he could only think about Marik. It took his mind off of his father, at least, but it made him want to see his effeminate Egyptian boyfriend. This usually wouldn't be a problem, ever since he had saved Marik, his parents had pretty much accepted Bakura as their own son (even though Marik had told him that they had warned him more than once not to get too serious), but Marik was flying to Egypt right now. The only way for Bakura to see him would be to but a ticket to Egypt and meet Marik there.

"If I could afford to go to Egypt, we wouldn't need to worry about paying the bills and the rent and everything," Bakura muttered as his cell phone vibrated. He checked it, half expecting it to be Ryou trying to apologize. He grinned when he saw it was from Marik:

"_Hey."_

Bakura replied quickly, "_Hey. How's it going?"_ A few seconds later came the reply.

_"Good, as long as Malik doesn't get airsick. You?"_

Bakura took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He might as well be honest with Marik. _"Not so good, to tell the truth."_

Almost immediately there came a response. "_What's wrong?"_

_"Well, you see..."_

* * *

"We haven't even been on the plane for half an hour, and you're already texting Bakura. That's gotta be some kind of record."

"Shut up, Malik," Marik said, checking the message Bakura had just sent him. It said: "_Hey. How's it going?"_

Marik replied, _"Good, as long as Malik doesn't get airsick. You?"_

"I resent that!" Malik protested. "I don't get airsick!"

"Do you mind _not_ looking over my shoulder?"

"It's not like I have anything better to look at, considering _you_ got the window seat. And you're not even using it! You're just staring at your cell phone!"

"Why don't you look at that girl across the aisle? She's cute, sort of. If you like that kinda thing," Marik shot back, opening up the message from Bakura;

_"Not so good, to tell the truth."_

"_What's wrong?" _Marik quickly replied. If something was bothering Bakura, he wanted to know what it was.

"That's not a girl across the aisle, that's an old lady!" Malik said.

"Across the aisle and up a seat," Marik said.

"Oh. Hey, she is kinda cute. I think that's her boyfriend next to her, though. And he's a little scary-looking, so I'm just gonna look away..." Malik glanced at his slightly younger brother, who was staring at his cell phone with wide eyes. "What? What happened? Did that bastard dump you? Want me to break his neck?"

"No, he didn't dump me. It's...I don't know if I should tell you."

"Okay, I'll just take your phone and see for myself." Malik made a grab for Marik's phone, which the younger boy held out of his reach. (Barely, considering they were in airplane seats.)

"Okay, okay! ...Bakura told me that his father's in town and wants to see him and Ryou."

"Well, that's not that bad. See, I was thinking that he had just learned that Ryou had cancer or something, which would completely suck, because I can actually get along with Ryou."

"Sure, it doesn't sound very bad to us, because we actually have a pretty decent relationship with our father. But, Bakura and his dad...well, they don't exactly see eye-to-eye."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"That's something I really can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's Bakura's secret. Not mine. If I could tell you, I would, but I can't."

"Oh. Okay, then."

The twin brothers sat in silence for a few moments. Marik sent a quick reply back to Bakura, _"Wow...that really sucks."_

"So, Bakura doesn't like his dad, then?"

"No, he doesn't. He told me that the day his father left was the second greatest day of his life."

"Second greatest? What was the first?"

Marik blushed. He looked down and muttered something.

"Sorry, what? I didn't catch that."

"The day he met me."

"Oh." Malik rolled his eyes. "That's sappy." But the reddening of his cheeks told that he was slightly embarrassed.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Then Malik leaned over to Marik.

"Marik?"

"Yeah?"

"The old lady across the aisle is giving us a funny look."

* * *

**Can you tell I had no idea what to do with this chapter? That's why it's short. Just call it filler. Nothing important happens, just a bit of Bakura being angry, and then Marik and Malik on their way to Egypt.**

**R&R, please.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So sorry I didn't update last week! I didn't have any Internet because my rabbit chewed through the cord that connected me to the Internet...but I'm updating now!**

**Thanks to: EuphrasieTheOwl, VampirePrinssess, sandydragon, Fujimori Chikaru, MewMewKitty78, and Spottedpaw13 for reviewing!**

* * *

"I really don't want to do this, Ryou."

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it, either, Bakura. Trust me."

"You shouldn't have even told Mom about this. I cannot believe that she agreed to let us come here!"

"Well, I guess that it's in a public place, and we both have our cell phones..."

"Whatever. Well, might as well get this over with."

The two boys stood outside of the local coffee shop. Ryou had told their mother about their father's phone call. She obviously had not been happy, but she had reluctantly agreed to let the boys see their father, especially after he called again to tell the twins where to meet him. And now here they were, Ryou feeling a bit nervous at the concept of seeing his father again after all this time, Bakura wishing he had come up with _any_ excuse not to come see his father.

"Well, let's go." Ryou pushed open the door and entered the building, Bakura reluctantly following.

"So where is he?" the elder brother asked, glancing around.

"Um...Is that him?" Ryou pointed at someone across the shop. Bakura followed his gaze and his jaw dropped.

"That _can't_ be him!" he said.

The man looked a _bit_ like his father, but if it was him, he had changed a _lot_.

For one thing, he had lost weight. Instead of the unsightly beer gut he used to sport, he was now slim enough to rival Ryou. Another thing, he was wearing glasses. Bakura's father _hated _glasses, claiming that they were a sign of the weak. Aside form the blue hair, he looked nothing like the man Bakura remembered living in his house for fourteen years.

"There's no way that's him," Bakura said again.

"I think it is," Ryou said. "Look." The man had noticed them and was waving them over, smiling slightly. "Let's go." He started walking over to the man.

"Smiling and waving...? _Definitely _not him!" Bakura muttered, reluctantly following his twin brother.

"Dad?" Ryou as they approached.

"Ryou, Bakura. It's good to see you again," the man greeted. Bakura blinked in shock. The voice wasn't slurred by alcohol, but it was the same. There could be no mistaking it now; this man really was Steve**(1)** Touzoku.

"_What the hell happened to him?"_

"Sit down, boys. I won't bite."

"No, you'll just beat us. Damn drunk," Bakura muttered under his breath. He sat down next to Ryou, across from his father. It was then that he noticed that his father was not alone. Ryou noticed it at the same instant.

"Um...who's she?" the younger brother asked timidly, gesturing to the small girl sitting next to their father.

"Oh. Right. Ryou, Bakura, this is Amane. She's...ahem, she's your half-sister."

The twins froze. Bakura narrowed his eyes.

"Our..._what_?" His gaze snapped back to the girl, who was staring back at him evenly. Her hair was blue, a shade or two lighter than their father's, and hung down to her shoulders. Her eyes were also blue, obviously she hadn't received them from her brown-eyed father.

"When your mother and I, er, broke up, so to speak, I got remarried and Amane came along shortly after," Steve explained.

Bakura frowned. Something here wasn't quite adding up.

"You ran off two years ago," he began slowly. Ryou looked at him, slightly puzzled. "How old is she? Seven? Eight?"

"I'm ten," Amane said, never tearing her gaze from the two white-haired boys who were apparently related to her. She had never heard of them before, and now she all of a sudden learned that she had two half-brothers? It was too confusing for her. "_Why did Daddy bring me here?"_ she thought.

"Ten, huh?" Bakura mused. "Well, then, _Dad_," he spat out the name as if it was a bad piece of candy that was too sour to handle. "If what you're saying is true, you would have to have left when Ryou and I were _seven_. Not fourteen. What, was she adopted? No, I highly doubt that!" He glared hard at the man who had masqueraded as his father for his entire sixteen-year life. Steve looked down.

"No...she wasn't adopted," he finally admitted. Bakura let out a bitter laugh.

"I knew it," he muttered with disgust. "You cheated on our mother, didn't you?" Ryou gasped slightly; part of him had also suspected it, but he hadn't wanted to believe it. Their father was silent before responding.

"...Yes. That's part of the reason I ended up leaving. Amane's mother had died and left her in my care. I couldn't exactly show up at home with her and explain it. You'd all hate me."

"I _did_ hate you," Bakura burst out. "I still do!"

"Why?" Amane asked. Bakura laughed bitterly again.

"Tell me, Amane, has the bastard ever come home drunk and hit you for no reason at all?"

"No."

"Oh, so we're showing _favoritism_, are we? I must say, I feel very hurt right now," Bakura snapped sarcastically.

"Bakura, son, please try to understand. I _couldn't_ hit Amane."

"Well, you certainly had no problem ever hitting me!"

"Bakura, whenever I was drunk, Amane just looked so frightened that I could never bring myself to-"

"What kind of excuse is that? Ryou was always _terrified_ whenever you were drunk! He'd start crying and you called him a weakling for crying so easily! You're trying to tell me that as soon as a _girl_ sheds a few tears, you're suddenly sober? _Bullshit_!" Bakura spat. He knew that this would happen. He knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his temper. "_Why did I even come here?"_ he thought.

"Bakura, you need to understand. Amane's really helped me. I've stopped drinking. I've quit the drugs. I have a respectable job now. And I've come to apologize.

"_Sixteen years too late," _Bakura thought as his cell phone vibrated. Automatically, he took it out of his pocket. It was a message from Marik. He replied to it and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Amane asked.

"None of your business," Bakura said. "It's not like you know anyone that I know."

"Was it your girlfriend?"

"What?"

"When you looked at it, your eyes got all soft and you smiled a little. Daddy says that stuff happens when people are in love."

"That's right, Ryou did tell me that you were dating someone," their father remarked, seemingly grateful for the change of subject. Bakura glared at Ryou, who looked down. "What's his name?"

"_His_ name?" Amane blurted. "You're dating a guy?"

Bakura closed his eyes.

"Yes, I am dating a guy," he muttered.

"Are you gay?"

Bakura gritted his teeth, silently counting to ten in an attempt to calm himself a little. It didn't quite work. Opening his eyes, he spoke very slowly to the cheeky little brat.

"Now, _that_," he said. "Has got to be the _dumbest_ question I've ever heard. Why would you ask someone if they were gay when they just admitted to dating a guy? But since you asked, no, I am not gay. I'm bisexual as a matter of fact."

Amane closed her mouth. They all sat in silence for a few moments. Steve coughed.

"So...what _is_ his name, then?"

"If you must know, his name is Marik. And no, you can't meet him. He happens to be very far out of town right now."

"That's okay," Amane said innocently. "We have all summer to get the chance to meet him."

That was the last straw for Bakura. He slammed his palm against the table, standing up at the same instant.

"Over my dead body," he growled. "There is no way in _hell_ I'd let the bastard meet my boyfriend. I'm actually happy for once in my life, and I do not intend to have him ruin it like he ruined everything else in my life!"

With that said, Bakura turned and stormed out of the shop without once turning back.

* * *

**(1) I couldn't think of a name for Bakura's father, so I asked my friend to say the first name that came to mind and she said "Steve" almost immediately. So Bakura's father is officially named Steve Touzoku for this story. **

**Yeah, so Amane's here, too. This oughta be interesting.**

**R&R, please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I would have uploaded this yesterday, but I went to visit my brother so I didn't have the chance to. So it's being uploaded today.**

**Thanks to: SheepAteMyFanBoys, VampirePrinssess, seira-g, Bec, Fujimori Chikaru, MewMewKitty78, xXI. Hate. TwilightXx, EuphrasieTheOwl, and sandydragon for reviewing!**

* * *

Marik woke up in a cold sweat.

"_Where am I?"_ he wondered. Then he remembered that he was in Egypt, in a hotel. Now, why had he woken up?

With a jolt, he remembered the dream - no, more like a nightmare - that had interrupted his sleep...

_He was in an underground cavern that was lit up with lamps. Two men were pulling a struggling young boy through the halls. The boy was pleading with them._

"_No, please, don't do this! Odion! Help me!"_

What? Why was Odion there?

_Marik's older brother stared at the ground, not making contact with the desperate boy. Just where were they taking him that had him so frightened?_

_The two men dragged the young captive into a dimly lit chamber, where they removed his shirt and strapped him to a cold stone table, face down._

What are they doing?

_The two men left and another man entered, carrying a long, sharp knife. He held the blade over a fire, heating it so it would cut easier. The man turned to the trembling boy lying immobile on the stone table._

Dad?

"_Father, please, don't do this!" the boy begged, tears running from his eyes and dripping onto the table. The man ignored his pleas, walking closer to the table._

"_Father! Please!"_

_The man raised the glowing hot knife and brought it down on the boy's flawless, bare back. The inhuman shrieks had been what jolted Marik from his sleep._

Marik slid out of bed and quietly made his way to the bathroom. He closed the door and stared at himself in the mirror. Turning on the cold water, he splashed it over his face. The icy droplets rolled off his chin, and he began to think a bit clearer.

Why was the boy being treated like that? Was he being punished? What had he done to deserve such a torturous punishment?

"Why are you looking into this so much?" Marik asked his reflection. "It was only a dream. Dreams don't-" Marik stopped. If he finished that sentence, he would just be lying to himself. He knew better than anyone that dreams _could_ be something that actually had happened or was going to happen. He'd had dreams of Bakura before they had even met each other! And look at what had happened with that one.

"But _this_ dream can't be true," Marik argued. "I mean, who would treat a kid like that, especially their own son?" The fact that the man looked _exactly_ like Marik's father had to be a coincidence. Hank Ishtar was strict, for sure, but he'd never do something so horrible to his own children. Especially not to Marik. He never said it out loud, but Marik had always had the feeling that he was his father's favorite.

The fact that Odion had been there, too, was also a coincidence. It had to be.

"It was just a freaky dream. I'll never have it again, and I probably won't even remember it in the morning," Marik said. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm talking to myself. I must be half-crazy."

Marik turned off the light and went back to bed, shoving Malik back to his own side of the bed. (There was only two beds, and air mattress, and a pullout sofa in the hotel room, so Malik and Marik were forced to share one of the beds.)

Marik didn't have to worry about having that dream agin, because he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep, but being unable to.

* * *

The next morning, while they were leaving the hotel, Marik asked Malik if he had had any strange dreams the night before.

"Actually, yeah, I did," Malik said. Marik swallowed.

"What was it about?" he asked. Malik and Marik often had the same dream, which was, according to their parents, rather common with twins. They had called it some fancy word that Marik didn't bother to remember. Malik smirked at his younger brother.

"Only if you tell me yours first," he said. Marik sighed; he should have known Malik would try to be difficult.

Quickly, he explained his dream to his twin, keeping his voice low so that no one else would hear. From the expression on Malik's face, it was obvious that he had _not_ had the same dream.

"Whoa..." he said when Marik had finished. "That's...weird... All I dreamed about was Atlantis, for some reason. But I like your dream better! Odion and Dad were really in it?"

"Yeah. It was really creepy. Dad - the guy who _looked_ like Dad, that is - just seemed so...heartless. The way he cut open the poor kid's back..." Marik shivered; the boy's screams were still echoing in his ears. "It sounded really painful, the kids was begging him to stop, but he didn't. And his cuts were very precise, kind of like carving a Jack-O-Lantern."

"Yeah, a _human_ Jack-O-Lantern. Why do you think you had a dream like that?

"Does it matter? It was only a dream. Like your dream about Atlantis and the unicorn. It doesn't mean anything."

"I never said there was a unicorn."

"You never said there wasn't." Marik paused for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry. _Sea-_unicorn."

"...You're good."

"It's a gift."

"Why is it I had the lame dream and you had the cool dream for once? It's usually the other way around, isn't it?"

"Believe me, Malik, I'd rather have had a dream about Atlantis and sea-unicorns and mermaids than the dream I did have. If you'd had it, you'd agree with me."

The scariest part of his dream Marik had chosen not to share with his twin. He barely wanted to believe it himself, but there could be no denying it.

The wretched boy who had suffered so much in Marik's dream...was Marik himself.

* * *

**Hmm...lately these chapters have just been getting more and more filler-ish. Hopefully in a few chapters the good stuff will actually start to happen.**

**R&R, please.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry about the delay in updating. I had the worst case of writer's block for this chapter! I hope it's worth the wait.**

**Thanks to: seira-g, MewMewKitty78, SheepAteMyFanBoys, VampirePrinssess, EuphrasieTheOwl, and Annzy for reviewing! **

* * *

Marik picked up a small object and stared at it. It was a small crocodile, that appeared to be made of gold, with emeralds for eyes and rubies along it's back. But this was just a paperweight. The real one was somewhere in a museum.

Marik set it back on the shelf, sighing with boredom. Somehow he had been dragged to this weird shop in the middle of Cairo that sold "affordable" copies of ancient relics found in the tombs of pharaohs. A small part of Marik wondered if the dead rulers of Egypt were angry that their personal items were being used for profit, but he didn't usually think about it.

Marik wandered around, glancing at shelves. Nothing really caught his interest. Until he was at the back of the small store. Something glinted in the dim light of the store, catching his eye. Curious, and drawn by his abnormal attraction to shiny objects, he walked towards it.

It was a miniature staff by the looks of it, with a winged eye at one end. It looked so peculiar that Marik had to pick it up. The eye seemed to glow as he wrapped his fingers around the handle. It was a bit heavier than he expected, which surprised him. What surprised him even more that the handle had a knife hidden inside it.

"_This would come in handy at school,"_ he thought. If the glowing eye didn't keep people away, the knife definitely would. Marik shook his head.

"_What am I thinking?_" he wondered, setting the object back on the shelf. "_I'd get suspended if I brought this to school! I do not wanna have to go through that again!"_

He glanced at the shelf, curious to see if there was anything else. He saw six other objects: an ankh, a miniature pyramid with a rope around it (probably for the owner's neck), a set of old-fashioned scales, an eye (that was creepy), a choker necklace, and a strange-looking pendant. This pendant caught Marik's attention almost as much as the small staff had.

The pendant appeared to be a triangle inside of a ring, with several small spikes hanging from the bottom. In the middle of the triangle, an eye exactly like the one on the staff was engraved. Actually, Marik realized, _all_ of the items had the same eye somewhere on them.

Marik's curiosity was bubbling inside of him as he reached for the pendant. As soon as his fingertip brushed it, he jerked his hand back as if he had been burned. Something told him he shouldn't touch this pendant.

A tap on his shoulder made him jump. He whirled around to face whoever it was behind him.

"Oh," he let out a sigh of relief. "It's just you, Malik." His twin scowled.

"Gee, that makes me feel special," he snapped.

"What's got your panties in a knot?" Marik asked, slightly surprised.

"Don't test me, I'm really mad right now."

"Why?"

"I wish I knew. I've been feeling mad ever since we came in this store, and now I'm so mad, I can hardly see straight!" Malik yanked at his hair. Marik discreetly took a step back. Being close to Malik when he was angry was like bathing in barbeque sauce, tying steaks around your neck, and walking into the middle of a pack of wolves who haven't eaten in two weeks. Marik decided not to let Malik know that one of the items on the shelf had a knife hidden inside it. Who knows what he might do.

"Well, maybe we should leave," he suggested. Even though he was still curious about the items on the shelf, Malik could bring literal meaning to the term "bull in a china shop," especially if he was as mad as he claimed.

"Yeah, maybe we should - What's that? It's shiny." Malik reached over and picked up the small staff. He was just as attracted to shiny stuff as Marik was, perhaps even more so. He could forget anything if there was a shiny object nearby. "Cool," he said, examining it. "What's this do?" He tugged at the end, unsheathing the knife. "Whoa. Hey, Marik, with this thing you wouldn't have to worry about Kaiba anymore."

"Yeah, I'd just have to worry about getting suspended. Or expelled. Put it back, Malik."

"No way, this thing is awesome! I'm gonna buy it."

"Dude, check the price tag. This thing costs more than you do. Besides, what could you do with it? Put it back."

"Who said I had to pay?"

"Malik, seriously, put it ba-" Marik put his hand on the staff, ready to yank it from his brother's grasp, and suddenly froze. Malik stiffened also, eyes growing wide.

_The dusty shelves of the store melted away, replaced by a stone cavern alight with torches. Two men were in the room, one standing, the other on his knees, tied to a large, stone pillar._

"_AUGH!" the man on his knees screamed as the other man sliced his back with a glowing knife. The man's back was already covered with deep gashes from the knife._

"_Odion!" A small boy ran into the room, followed by a young woman. They both stopped cold at the sight of the two men._

"_Marik! Ishizu!" The older man turned around and glared at the two new arrivals. "You see what happens when you break the sacred code of the tombkeepers? Now the _servant_ has to pay for your treachery."_

"_Father, stop!" The boy ran forward. He grabbed the man's arm in aa futile attempt to stop him. The man backhanded him harshly. The boy staggered back, falling against the wall._

"_Marik!" The woman knelt beside him. "Are you alright?" The boy grabbed his head, as if he had a headache._

"_AUGH!" the man on the floor screamed again as the burning knife seared through his skin. He fell unconscious._

"_Marik. Come here," he other man ordered. The boy lowered his hands, but he had changed. His neatly arranged hair was now sticking straight up. His face was harsher and his eyes held as hint of bloodlust. He laughed, the cruel, humorless sound echoing through the cavern._

"_Thanks for killing Odion, _Father_," he said. Even his voice sounder different. Deeper, crueler, it bordered on demonic. Still laughing, he walked over to a small Table on one side of the room. He picked something up off of it. It was a small staff, with a winged eye on one end. The eye glowed when he touched it._

"_It accepts me," he noted with a smirk._

"_Marik! You are not to touch the Millennium Items!" the man scolded._

"_Shut up!" the boy yelled, pointing the staff at the man. Some unseen force pushed him back and pinned him against the wall._

"_Marik!" The girl started running towards him._

"_You stay out of this, _sister_," the boy sneered, pointing the staff towards her. Like the man, she was forced against the wall._

_The boy started walking towards the man, unsheathing the knife from the staff. He raised the knife, then brought it down, straight through the man's heart, laughing all the way._

The staff the two boys were holding fell to the ground with a clatter. They stood frozen in place, trying to comprehend what they had just seen.

"What was that?" Malik finally said. His face was pale with shock.

"I-I don't know," Marik admitted. "Come on, let's get out of here." He turned to go, and stopped. A man was standing in front of him, blocking his path. The man wore a long white robe and a turban. He bowed humbly to the two Japanese-Egyptian boys.

"Welcome, sons of the Ishtar clan," he said. "I have been waiting for you."

The only word either of the twins could utter was, "What?"

* * *

**I think it could have been a teeny bit better. But, I'm still happy with the way it turned out.**

**R&R, please.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I've have decided that my New Year's resolution is going to be to make more time for writing. I spend too much time on the computer and not enough time updating.**

**Thanks to: Annzy, MewMewKitty78, sandydragon, Bec, Haya Cho, and Spottedpaw13 for reviewing!**

* * *

Malik was immediately suspicious of the stranger.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "How do you know our last name?" As he spoke, he stepped forward, discreetly moving in front of Marik. The man seemed a bit surprised at this action.

"You do not need to protect your brother from me, Malik," he said. "I do not intend to cause harm to either of you." Malik crossed his arms, not moving.

"You haven't answered my questions," he said. "Who are you? How do you know who we are?"

The man bowed again. "Forgive me. My name is Shadi. I am from the clan of tomb guardians. I have been waiting for the return of the ones who hold the Millennium Items."

"_This guy's crazy,"_ Marik thought. _"He's escaped from an asylum or something and wants us to let our guard down so he can kill us."_

Marik nudged the staff with his foot so it was behind him. If the man made a grab for it, Marik could get at it first.

"You have no need to worry, Marik. The Millennium Rod is not mine to hold." Marik didn't know which was creepier, the fact that this man knew his name, or the fact that he seemed to be able to read his mind. Either way, Marik was scared. He wished Odion was nearby. Then this creep might back off a little. But their brother was nowhere to be seen. Actually, he couldn't see any of his family.

"Malik," he hissed. "Where is everyone?" Either Malik didn't hear him or was purposely ignoring him.

"What do you mean, it's not yours to hold? Anyone who wants to can buy it. It's a souvenir."

"The Millennium Items only appear to those who have held them in the past. The Ishtar family have been the wielders of the Millennium Rod and Tauk for centuries. And now they have returned to you. Marik Ishtar," the man said, looking straight at the youngest Ishtar. "The Millennium Rod is your destiny, as is your partnership with Bakura Touzoku."

"How did you-"

"We don't know anyone named Bakura," Malik interrupted. "You're crazy."

"I am speaking the truth. I am not by any means 'crazy.'"

"Only the insane believe that they're truly sane," Malik shot back. The man looked startled for an instant, then laughed.

"I can see that you are nothing like your counterpart, the one who would sooner kill than die himself, but you still have his spirit."

"Counterpart? What's that supposed to mean?" Marik blurted out the question before he could stop himself. The man turned his gaze to Marik.

"Tell me, you are not the first Marik Ishtar, are you?"

"No," Marik said, surprising himself. "I was named after my grandfather, who was named after my great-grandfather. He was-"

"The first Ishtar to come to Japan," the man finished. Marik was more scared than ever. Not only could this man seemingly read his thoughts, it seemed he was also able to make Marik talk even when he didn't want to. "And do you know _why_ he came to Japan?"

"He was tired of living in Egypt his entire life," Malik said. "He wanted to know what the rest of the world was like. He chose to come to Japan after his father's death to see if he could make a living in a place other than Egypt."

"So that is what you have been told. It is not the truth. The Ishtar family is a family of tombkeepers. It was tradition for the firstborn son to be given the symbol of the Pharaoh and never be allowed to venture to the surface. The first Marik Ishtar did not want this life that was forced upon him as the firstborn son. He blamed the Pharaoh for making his family suffer for generations. He rejected his duty as a tombkeeper and journeyed to Japan with the intent of killing the Pharaoh and avenging his clan for the torment they had gone through."

"If they were guarding the Pharaoh's _tomb_, that means he was already dead. How can he kill someone who's not alive?" Malik said. It was obvious that he didn't believe this man's tale, but, for some reason, Marik didn't find it all that far-fetched. In fact, he found it to be rather reasonable.

"All of your questions will be answered in time, Malik. Marik, take the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Ring. They shall aid you in your battle against Seto Kaiba."

"Wait, how do you-" The man was gone. Maybe the boy's had blinked, maybe they had looked away briefly, but the man seemed to have vanished without a trace.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Malik said. "I've got a bad feeling."

"Wait." Marik bent down and picked up the staff from the floor. Then he took the pendant from the shelf.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm...I'm buying them."

"Why? Just because some insane freak - who is now running loose - told you to?"

"He's not insane. I-I think he was telling the truth."

Malik rolled his eyes. "Please. You'll believe anyone who says that Bakura's your destiny."

Marik blushed, but still held onto the items. "Well, I was kind of planning on buying this anyway," he said, holding up the staff. "And I'm getting this for Bakura."

"You're too gullible, Marik. You'll believe anything as long as it's something you like."

"Say what you want. I'm buying them."

* * *

"Bakura, get up."

"I'm not going."

"It's good to spend quality time with them."

"I don't _want_ to spend time with The Jackass and that little brat!"

"Bakura..."

"I'm not going."

Ryou sighed; he should have known that Bakura was going to be difficult about this. They were supposed to spend some time with Amane and their father, but Bakura refused to even get out of bed.

"Come _on_, Bakura!" Ryou yanked the covers off of is older brother. Of course, it _was _summer, meaning Bakura preferred to wear less clothes in an effort to keep cool. Lucky for Ryou, he had chosen to wear boxers to bed, sparing him the sight of seeing his older brothers' "birthday suit."

"See something you like?" Bakura cracked dryly, not moving.

"Get out of bed."

"No. Tell them I hate them for me, okay?" Bakura felt a sharp pain on his head and he was suddenly seeing Ryou upside-down. The top half of his body was hanging off the bed, the bottom half was still on the mattress. His head was still stinging, for Ryou had done the most forbidden thing in the world.

He had _pulled_ Bakura's hair.

Bakura was on his feet in an instant, grabbing Ryou by the throat and slamming him against the wall.

"I would like you to recite rule number four," he growled.

"'Don't touch the hair,'" Ryou said calmly, meeting his brother's furious gaze evenly. Bakura relaxed his grip on his brother's throat slightly, but didn't let go.

"Bakura," Ryou said. "I'm just as unhappy with this as you are. But if I'm going, I think it's only fair that you go, too. Bakura, please. Don't make me do this alone."

Bakura eased his hand away as a sudden realization dawned on him.

Ryou was _afraid_.

Ryou, after all these years, was still afraid of their father. He didn't want to have to go through something like this alone. He _needed _his brother there with him, just like in the past. And what kind of brother would Bakura be if he forced Ryou to go through this alone?

"Okay, I'll go," he reluctantly agreed. "But don't expect me to be _friendly_."

"Deal," Ryou said with a smile. "Get dressed, and I'll make breakfast."

And that was how it came to be that, half an hour later, Bakura was trudging along after his brother to the zoo. Of all places, that jackass had chosen a _zoo_. They were sixteen, not six.

"I think it's him trying to make up for all the stuff he missed when we were growing up," Ryou had said when Bakura brought up this fact.

"More likely the little brat told _'Daddy'_ she wanted to go to the zoo and he, being an idiot and probably drunk at the time, agreed," Bakura had grumbled, earning him a jab in the stomach, courtesy of Ryou's impossibly bony elbows. Being that skinny apparently _was_ good for something.

"Do I have to do this?" Bakura asked, not for the first time.

"Yes," Ryou said, not even looking at his brother.

"I hate the zoo."

"I know."

"If you loved me, you wouldn't force me to do this.

"Guess I must not love you."

Harmless banter usually took their minds off of whatever they were worried about, but it wasn't working this time. Their problems were too big to forget about. Bakura was still trying to convince Ryou to just forget the whole thing.

"You know, we could go home. We could make up some excuse, like Mom didn't want us to come, or we forgot."

"You know we can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It...it wouldn't be right." Ryou sighed. "Bakura, he's trying to make amends. Could you at least _try_ to be pleasant today?"

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Bakura crossed his arms. "I am only pleasant when I choose to be. You know this, Ryou." The younger Touzoku twin was becoming very agitated.

"I don't know...pretend you're on a date with Marik, or something." Bakura laughed at the suggestion.

"If I was on a date with Marik, we wouldn't be going to a zoo. We would be doing much more..._grownup_ things. Oh, to a passerby, it may _sound_ like a zoo, but nothing could be further from the truth." Bakura grinned. He was glad it was almost the end of the week. Marik would be coming home soon. With his effeminate boyfriend around, he would have more of an excuse not ot go see the jackass and his she-devil spawn. Oh yes, Marik would definitely take his mind off of things.

"Bakura? Hey, Bakura!" Ryou snapped his fingers inches from Bakura's nose. "Don't zone out on me."

"Sorry," Bakura said, not feeling sorry at all. "I was just thinking about what I can do when Marik gets home..." he trailed off, chuckling.

"You're not planning on stealing my best friend's virginity, are you?" Ryou asked, only have-joking.

"Well, if he'll let me, I'm certainly not going to refuse," Bakura said, wiggling his eyebrows. Ryou threw his hands up in exasperation.

"I swear, you're just...incorrigible!" he cried.

"Ryou, I'm not even going to _pretend_ I know what that word means."

"Look it up!" Ryou snapped.

Bakura blinked. Ryou must be feeling _really_ nervous to get so angry, he realized.

"I'm sorry, Ryou," he said. "But you know how I feel about this guy. I mean, it's _his_ fault that we're where we are today." After he had disappeared, Bakura's father had done nothing to acknowledge the family he had left behind. He had never sent any money, never called, and as far as Bakura was concerned, the first few months after he left were absolute _bliss_. He had finally been able to come home from school and breathe easily, without choking on cigarette smoke or the heavy stench of alcohol. He could go to sleep without first having to bandage himself up, or comfort his younger brother. It was perfect. Until, that is, Bakura's mother had lost her job. They were forced to sell their house and find an apartment that they were able to afford. Bakura thought that their problems were over after "The Jackass" left, but they had only began.

"I really don't think you're _too_ upset with where we are now," Ryou said. "In fact, I think you're happier than I've ever seen you. And I think I know what - or rather _who_ - is responsible for that."

"Shut up," Bakura muttered, feeling his face heat up ever so slightly. Considering Marik was the first serious, long-term relationship Bakura had ever been involved in, he could be a little defensive about it. Since it was the only thing that Bakura was the littlest bit sensitive about, Ryou teased him each chance he got about it.

"I'm not deaf, you know," the younger twin said. "And our apartment's walls are paper-thin. I can hear you two laughing or making out when I'm watching tv and you two are in our bedroom."

"We don't make out," Bakura muttered, not making eye contact with his brother. "We talk, we hold hands, and we kiss, but we don't make out."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess that the sounds I hear you two making must come from old Ms. Carter across the hall, then." Ryou smiled and winked knowingly at Bakura.

Bakura muttered something inaudible. "Shut up," he said aloud. Ryou looked ahead and the smile faded from his face.

"We're almost there," he said, pointing. Bakura followed his gaze. Sure enough, only several yards away, stood Amane and her father, waiting.

"Ryou, do me a favor. Don't say _anything_ about Marik. Don't mention a word. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good." Bakura sighed. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Hi, Dad," Ryou said as they approached.

"_How can he say 'Dad' so nonchalantly, like he's just welcoming a parent home from work? That man is no father of mine," _Bakura thought.

"Hello, boys. How are you?" Steve Touzoku asked.

"We're fine," Ryou responded pleasantly.

"Hi, Ryou. Hi, Bakura," Amane said. Probably trying to get attention.

"Hi, Amane," Ryou said. Bakura said nothing. Ryou nudged him.

"Yeah, whatever." The four stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Steve cleared his throat.

"Well...shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the zoo entrance.

If Bakura had later been asked to describe the trip in one word he would have had the perfect one right off the bat:

Hell.

Not only was he forced to spend an hour and a half at a freaking _zoo_, he had to spend it with a father he never liked and a half-sister he never even knew about! A half-sister who, it seemed, was obsessed with him. She insisted on walking next to him, asking his opinion on every single exhibit, and, worst of all, actually trying to _hold his hand_. After the fifth time of slapping her hand away, Bakura turned to her.

"Listen, you little bitch. I'll tolerate you talking to me with that shrill little voice of yours, just don't expect me to answer. But keep trying to hold my hand, and I'll tear you apart and feed you to the lions piece by piece. Got it?" Of course, this threat would have sounded much more frightening if Bakura's voice hadn't cracked on the word "lions." Amane stared him for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. Ryou shot his brother a sympathetic look. Bakura simply shoved his hands in his pockets and fumed silently until he was home.

"Well, that wasn't _too_ bad," Ryou said as the brothers rode the elevator up to their floor.

"For you, maybe," Bakura growled.

"Yeah...sorry that your voice cracked that one time. But puberty can do stuff like that to people..."

"Ryou, I've already _been_ through puberty. I hit puberty when we where fourteen. _You're _the one who has yet to go through it."

"I have so gone through puberty!" Ryou protested. "Just because it didn't happen at the same time as you doesn't mean I haven't gone through it!"

"Whatever." Bakura reached into his pocket and took out his key. He opened the door a crack, then paused.

"Bakura, open the door," Ryou said.

"Shh."

"Bakura-"

"_Shh!_" Bakura leaned forward slightly, turning his ear to the door. He could clearly hear his mother's voice on the other side.

"But, Mr. Johnson, I just don't understand...only yesterday you told me what a good job I was doing... Complaints? Who's been complaining?... Mr. Johnson, please. I'm not asking for myself, it's for my children. Please, just one more chance!" There was a pause and Bakura's mother let out a defeated sigh. "I understand, sir. Yes, sir. Good bye."

"Bakura, what's going on?" Ryou demanded. Bakura turned to his brother, an out of character look of dismay on his face.

"Ryou," he said. "I think Mom was fired."

* * *

**Yeah, I had writer's block again. It's the reason this wasn't posted earlier in vacation. I'm going to do my best to update more often this year, but I can't make any promises.**

**R&R, please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Gah. This took me forever to write. I swear, it did not want to be written. But I'm just making excuses for myself. Yeah, the chapter took a long time for me to upload, but I finally sat down and wrote it. It was very painful, but I did it. I'm not completely thrilled with the finished product, but it will so for a sort of filler-ish chapter. A very long filler-ish chapter. Now let's see if anyone actually remembers this story!**

* * *

Ryou's face was paler than usual.

"Fired? But...why?"

"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out." Bakura pushed the door open the rest of the way and the two boys entered the apartment. Their mother didn't notice them at first.

"What did I do wrong?" she was asking herself. "I was always polite to the customers, I gave correct change, I did everything without complaining. Why would I be fired?"

"Mum?" Ryou spoke up hesitantly. Ms. Touzokou looked up.

"Oh," she said, seeming surprised by her sons' appearances. "You're back earlier than I expected. How did it go?"

"It was hell," Bakura said flatly. "What happened?"

"Oh, I just had a bit of a problem at work, is all. It's fine, though, don't worry."

"Mom. We're sixteen years old. Almost seventeen," Bakura said. "You don't have to lie to us. Were you fired?"

"Yes," Ms. Touzokou admitted. "I don't know why, but according to my boss, he was getting complaints from customers."

"Are...are we going to have to move again?" Ryou asked quietly. He wasn't asking for himself, even though he would like to stay in Domino as well. He was asking for Bakura, who was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, but desperate to hear the answer.

"...No. We won't have to move again." Their mother had hesitated just an instant too long before answering.

"I'll get a job," Bakura said. Ms. Touzokou shook her head.

"No, Bakura, you don't have to do that. I can just ask your father if-"

"No!" Bakura exploded. "I am _sick_ of just sitting around doing _nothing_ while you can barely pay the bills and feed the three of us! Ryou and I will be seniors in three years. Unless by some miracle we both get scholarships, there's know way we can pay for college for the two of us! I'll get a job so that we can stop worrying about bills for once and just get on with our lives! We don't need that bastard's money. Not when I'm able to make some myself." Bakura turned and left the apartment before his brother or mother could respond.

Maybe he was being selfish by not wanting his father to help pay the rent. But he didn't want his father to suddenly start helping because he thought it would win his son's affections. When Bakura hated someone, he hated them, pure and simple. He never changed his mind.

His cell phone rang as he left the building, Boston's "More Than A Feeling" belting out in all it's glory. A woman who was passing by gave him a strange look at his choice of ringtone.

"_I really should change the ringtone on this. Nah," _Bakura thought. He answered the phone. "Hello."

"Hey, Kura." Bakura smiled.

"Hey, Marik," he said. Only Marik would call when Bakura needed it most. "How's Egypt?"

"It's fine, but once you've seen one city, you've seen them all. We're heading home tomorrow."

"Good. I could use some distraction from my life at the moment."

"You mean with your dad? Is it really all that bad?"

"Worse. It turns out, I have a half-sister that's ten years old. Go ahead, do the math." There was a brief pause.

"You mean he...?"

"Yup."

"Bastard." Bakura grinned. One thing he liked most about MArik, he didn't try to mince words with subjects like this.

'Tell me about it. Oh, and guess what? My mother was just fired because people were apparently complaining about her. Three guesses on who's responsible for that."

"Hmm...Kaiba."

"Probably. Jerk-off knows he's can't get at me, so he's going after my family now."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, it isn't your fault. The guy just needs to get that stick out of his ass. So," Bakura was suddenly eager for a change of subject. "You're coming back tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh. I'll see you either then or the day after, depending on how much unpacking I have to do."

"Screw the unpacking. I need to see you."

"You will, Kura. Oh, I got you something."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not quite sure what you'll think of it. It's a little weird, but something told me I should get it for you."

"Well, what is it?"

"Ah, ah, ah. If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Marik's voice was teasing.

"You are so going to get it when you get back." Bakura's cell phone crackled with Marik's laughter.

"You know you'd never hurt me," he teased.

"I wasn't referring to 'getting it' that way, Marik," Bakura replied in a husky tone. There was a pause at the other end. Bakura could imagine Marik blushing.

"I wish I could come home sooner," Marik said in a hushed tone.

"I wish you were here right now," Bakura replied. He was starting to feel better. Marik always had that effect on him. Then he remembered that he was talking on his cell phone. His mother had enough trouble with the bills, as he had pointed out just a few minutes prior, yet here he was running up the cell phone bill with a long-distance conversation with his boyfriend.

Bakura sighed. He would have to cut this conversation short. He _hated _doing that to Marik, but he didn't want to have to face a huge bill when it finally came.

"Marik," he said. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"...Really?" Marik sounded disappointed. Bakura _hated_ that.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Really."

"No. I understand. It's okay. I'll see you when I get back, then?"

"Of course."

"Okay, then. I miss you."

"Not nearly as much as I miss you. I've been counting the minutes you've been gone."

"Well, luckily, you can stop counting tomorrow. I'll see you then. Bye."

"Yeah. Bye." bakura hung up his phone and sighed. He missed hearing Marik's voice already. He started to put his phone in his pocket, but paused when he caught sight of the date. Maybe he had done something bad in a past life and karma was punishing him for it now. His mother had just been fired, money was way too short, and the date was June 16.

The rent was due in two days.

* * *

Marik couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It had only been several days, but he felt like he had just spent months away from his boyfriend. That was the reason he had called Bakura instead of texting him, to hear the sound of his voice. But they had barely spent five minutes on the phone together.

"_He just didn't want to run up the cell phone bill,"_ Marik told himself. "_Especially since his mother lost one of her jobs."_ Even so, he missed Bakura. But, as Malik had told him when he was punching in the number, one more day wouldn't kill.

Malik glanced at him as he set the phone on a stand next to the bed they were sitting on.

"That was short."

"His mom lost her job. He didn't want to run the bill up."

"Really? That guy just can't catch a break, can he?"

"Guess not." Marik was only half paying attention to this conversation. His mind was still on Bakura. He wanted to see his boyfriend _so_ badly...

"Earth to Marik!" Marik blinked as his brother suddenly yelled his name.

"Did you say something?" he asked. Malik rolled his eyes.

"I swear, you can't keep your mind off of Bakura for two seconds. Two freaking _seconds_!"

"Someday you might fall in love, too, Malik."

"So that I can act as goofy as you? No thanks."

"I don't act goofy," Marik insisted.

"Oh, really? How much money did you spend on that thing you got for him?"

"Is it against the law to buy a souvenir for one's boyfriend?"

"No, but I warned you about getting too serious with that guy."

Marik rolled his eyes and leaned back against his pillow.

"We've been over this already. Even if I wanted to, it isn't possible for us to sleep together."

"Okay, you know what?" Malik stood up and glared at his twin brother. "Rule 34."

"Ruler 34?" Marik watched as Malik made his way over to a table tucked in the corner of the room. "What the hell is rule 34?"

"If it exists, there is porn of it. Odion!" Malik shouted into the other part of the two-rom suite they were staying in. "I'm borrowing your laptop!"

"Don't break it!"

"Okay." Malik unplugged the charging laptop and picked it up. As he turned around, he tripped over the cord, promptly dropping the computer on the floor. "Oops."

"Lucky Odion didn't hear that," Marik said. "He'd never let us use his laptop again."

"Got that right," Malik muttered, sitting down next to Marik and turning on the laptop.

"So, what does 'rule 34' have to do with anything?"

"Gay couples exist, so therefore there must be porn of it. There are no exceptions to rule 34."

Marik's eyes widened.

"You're going to look up _gay porn _on _Odion's _laptop?"

"Don't worry. I know how to delete the history," Malik replied calmly, opening up the Internet.

"That's not really the point, Malik! Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I _want_ to see other men naked and...doing _things._"

"I know."

"Then why are you looking it up? Don't tell me that it turns _you_ on!" Malik rolled his eyes.

"Please. I'm actually _straight_, little brother. Besides, I'm not looking up gay porn. I'm going to Google to show you that it is possible for two guys to sleep together."

"You know, for someone who wants me to keep my virginity intact, you're awfully persistent about showing me how it's possible."

"I just like being right. Don't go getting any funny ideas. You will not be fooling around with _anyone_ unless I say so."

Marik rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Mom_," he said mockingly.

"Shut up," Malik retorted, waiting for the webpage to load.

"You realize that nine out of ten responses will probably be porn sites," Marik pointed out, leaning over to get a better look at the screen. Despite himself, he _was _rather curious. Dying a virgin wasn't exactly at the top of his bucket list, but after coming to terms with his sexuality, he just decided that getting laid was something that he would have to live without. But lately, especially after he had started seeing Bakura, he had wondered about the topic. He had almost looked it up several times himself, but he was always afraid that his parents or one of his siblings would catch him. The mere thought of that happening was enough to make him embarrassed.

"There!" Malik pointed to the screen. "See?" Marik looked at the computer and started reading the webpage that his twin had pulled up. Before he was halfway down the page, his eyes were as big as dinner plates. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away.

"Ugh!" He shuddered, trying to shake the explanation from his memory, but it was permanently drilled in. "That's disgusting!" Malik shrugged and closed the laptop.

"I told you," he said.

"Why'd you have to show me that? I'm never gonna get that out of my head now!"

"Because chances are, Bakura probably knows. I didn't want you to start fooling around with him or whatever and wind up being hurt because something happened that you didn't think could."

"We don't 'fool around.'"

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"We don't!"

"Of course." Malik stood up and placed Odion's laptop back on the table.

"We _don't_!"

"I believe you," Malik replied in a tone that said he obviously didn't believe Marik.

* * *

It had been two hours since Bakura had stormed out of his apartment and he was just feeling more and more pissed off. Every single place he went by either wasn't hiring or was a place that Bakura had absolutely no desire whatsoever to work at.

"The next place I see that's hiring, I'm going in. No matter what type of place it is," Bakura promised himself. Perhaps he should have waited to tell himself such a thing, because the next store he came to with a large "Help Wanted" painted on the window was none other than the local pet store.

"You're kidding me," Bakura muttered. "You have _got_ to be kidding me." Not only did Bakura _hate_ animals, Marik was allergic to almost anything with fur. Bakura's fists clenched as he remembered that, if he did manage to get a job, he would be seeing less of Marik.

"My life is shit," Bakura muttered, pushing open the door.

As he stepped inside, his nose wrinkled with clear distaste over the animal smells. Just another reason why Bakura was not an animal person.

Trying to breather through only his mouth, he headed over to the check-out counter. No one was around, but there was a door off to one side, probably where employees hung out when there were no customers. If there _were_ any employees of customers.

Bakura was about to go knock on the door, or maybe even leave, when he caught sight of the tip jar. The half-full tip jar. The half-full tip jar with no lid. Bakura glanced at the door. It remained shut. He glanced up at the ceiling. The only security cameras were fixed solely on the door. He looked back at the tip jar. His hand twitched slightly. He started to reach forward...

"_No!"_ he thought, jerking his hand back. "_I can't."_ The last time he had tried stealing something... But you were supposed to learn from your mistakes, weren't you?

"_Go ahead," _a small voice in the back of his head whispered_. "No one's looking. Besides, you need the money more, anyway."_

He _did_ need the money. Taking the whole jar would be stupid, but no one would notice if a handful of cash was missing. He could pay it back someday, if he felt like it. Or remembered.

Then he thought of Marik, who would be more than a little disappointed in him if he stole money from someone else. Someone who had earned it. Bakura didn't want Marik to be disappointed in him. The thought made his insides turn. Was _this _what it was really like to be in love with someone? To always be thinking of the other person before yourself?

"_Think of yourself for once, Bakura!" _the voice urged. _"You've been thinking of only him for months!"_

The voice _did_ have a point. How many times had Bakura been late to class because he had first walked Marik to his class on the other end of the school? How many times had Bakura put off his homework, or not gone after a job he could easily have gotten, in order to spend more time with Marik?

"_What Marik doesn't know won't kill him," _Bakura thought. "_I won't do this ever again."_ He reached out towards the jar again. A small noise made him jump. The door to the side was starting to open. Bakura quickly dove his hand into the jar and grasped a few bills. He barely managed to stuff the money into his pocket as the door opened and a man stepped out. He looked surprised to see Bakura.

"Hello," he said. "Can I help you?"

"Um, I saw your thing on the window," Bakura muttered halfheartedly. The man was a friend of Kaiba's father. There was no way Bakura could get a job here. The man squinted at Bakura, scrutinizing him.

"Well...the position's filled. I was just coming to take that down."

"Whatever." Bakura turned and left, making sure to slam the door behind him. He glanced up at the sky.

"I should probably head home," he said. He reached into his pocket and took out the money he had..."borrowed."

"Four dollars," he muttered. "Four _frickin'_ dollars!" Angrily, he shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to his apartment. He knew that he needed an excuse as to why he had the money, but he could think one up later.

As he entered the building, he almost ran into the manager. The manager, an elderly man who was blind in one eye and had the unusual habit of carrying his fat, orange cat everywhere he went, turned his good eye towards Bakura.

"Rent day is almost here, Mr. Touzokou," he wheezed. "Will you be getting it in on time?"

"Yes, sir, we will."

"See that you do. I won't be able to wait like I have in the past. The economy's bad enough as it is."

"Yes. I know it is," Bakura responded through gritted teeth. "Excuse me." He brushed past Mr. Sprutzenheimer (Mr. S was easier to pronounce, but the old fart demanded to be called by his full name) and continued to the elevators. Just his luck, both were out of order.

Barely resisting the urge to break something, Bakura headed for the stairs. (Why did his apartment have to be on the fifth floor? Why couldn't it have been on the second floor?)

"Could today possibly get any worse?" Bakura muttered, digging in his pocket for his key. He shoved open the door and stepped inside, kicking off his sneakers.

"Hey, Bakura," someone greeted him from the couch. "Where have you been all day?"

Bakura froze. Evidently, it _was_ possible for his day to get worse. Slowly, he turned to glare at the person lounging on the couch.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

**Stealing is bad, children. Don't do it.**

**If it hasn't been obvious by now, I'm just gonna say it. I've kind lost my muse for this story. I'm still going to finish it, but it will probably only be five or six more chapters. Maybe a little more, but that's a rough estimate. I want to get this one out of the way so that I can focus on "The Good, the Bad, and the British." So I probably won't be updating that until this one is complete.**

**R&R, please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay, here's another chapter of this rather dead story. It's a short chapter, but the best I could come up with. Now to find out who the mysterious person in Bakura's apartment is.**

* * *

"Now, that's just downright rude," the man on the couch said. "Is that anyway to treat your favorite cousin?"

Bakura glared at the twenty-something-year-old. His day had just gone from bad to all-out apocalyptic.

"What are _you_ doing here, Akefia?" he snapped. The muscular, tanned adult - in the loosest meaning of the word - stared lazily back at the teenager.

"Oh, the usual. Dropped out of college, lost my job, got evicted from my apartment, here I am."

"This is _not_ happening. Mom!" Bakura shouted, heading for the small kitchenette. "What is _he _doing here? Mom!" He caught sight of two pastry boxes from the local bakery on the counter. With a growl, Bakura grabbed a notepad and scribbled a note on it:

"Dear Akefia - Do _NOT_ touch the cream puffs or muffins. They are the only things Ryou and I have for breakfast, and we can only afford a certain amount per week. Touch them, even _look_ at them, and you will die. Sincerely, Bakura." He stuck the paper on one of the boxes and left the tiny room.

"Ryou!" he shouted. His twin brother appeared in the doorway of their room.

"Yes?"

"Ryou, where's Mom?" Ryou shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"...She went to beg for her job back," he mumbled.

"Then how did _he_ get in here?" Bakura pointed an accusatory finger at his cousin, who hadn't moved since Bakura arrived.

"Oh. I let him in," Ryou replied.

"_You_ let him in? How stupid can you get?"

"Bakura, he's our cousin. He's family.

"Yeah, 'family' from that bastard's side!"

"Look, I know Dad might not have been the best parent, but he's still our father."

"He's nothing but a sperm donor!"

"Bakura!"

"It's the truth. You can call him 'Dad' all you want, Ryou. But that man will _never_ be my father." Akefia leaned over the back of the couch.

"Listen, Baku-chan," he began, earning a growl from the pale teenager. "It's not like I _wanted _to come here - well, actually, I kind of did, because you're the only ones who feed me. And I _do _love driving you nuts. I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I figured I could just crash here for a while."

"You figured wrong."

"It's just until I get a job and can find my own apartment."

"Why don't you go back to college? You wouldn't lose every job you get so easily."

"I dropped out for a reason. I can't handle college."

Bakura rubbed his forehead, sensing the beginning of a migraine.

"Just when I think my day can't _possibly_ get any worse, _he_ shows up! What the hell did I do in my past life?"

"Come on, Bakura. Not _everything_ that happened today could be bad," Ryou said.

"Yes, it was! This whole day has been a night mare!"

"Bakura." Ryou crossed his arms. "Take a deep breath."

Glaring at his twin, Bakura inhaled through his nose.

"...Now let it out." Bakura exhaled. "Now I want you to think. You aren't going to move from this spot until you tell me one good thing that happened today."

Bakura closed his eyes and thought. One minute passed. Two minutes. Three.

"Bakura!" Ryou cried.

"What?"

"Stop goofing around!"

"I'm _thinking_!"

"It cannot be that difficult to come up with one good thing! _Something_ must've happened that made you happy!"

Bakura closed his eyes again. Almost immediately, a mental image of Marik filled his mind's eye.

"Duh!" he said, slapping his forehead. "Marik's coming back tomorrow."

"See?" Ryou smiled. "I bet _that_ makes up for anything bad that happened today."

"Who's Marik?" Akefia, apparently tired of not being involved in the conversation, piped up. Ryou opened his mouth to respond, but was silenced by a deadly glare from Bakura.

"Tell him, and you'll wake up castrated and permanently bald," he growled. Ryou snapped his mouth shut and didn't make a peep. Akefia raised one eyebrow, looking from Ryou to Bakura and back again. Then he grinned.

"Baku-chan?" he said teasingly. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Bakura didn't respond, but Akefia could tell from the way his muscles tensed that he was hiding something. "A girlfriend, maybe?"

"No," Bakura growled through clenched teeth. Akefia's eyes lit up.

"My God, you _do_ have a girlfriend! There may be hope for you yet!"

"Shut up," Bakura muttered. "I _don't_ have a girlfriend. I'm going to be in my room. Leave me alone for once." Without looking at his brother or cousin, Bakura stomped into his bedroom and slammed the door. Akefia turned back to Ryou.

"So, _does _he have a girlfriend?"

Ryou stared at the floor, uncomfortably shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Well, um, not exactly... It really isn't my place to say... I'm sure Bakura will tell you when he's ready." The pale boy squirmed under his cousin's probing gaze.

"You two are hiding something from me," Akefia stated.

"N-no! We're not hiding anything, really! Bakura really doesn't have a _girl_friend, he, um, I-I should probably call my mum and let her know that you're here." Ryou scampered into the kitchenette, away from the older man's nosy questions. Akefia watched him leave.

"That kid needs to get some friends besides his brother. He's too skittish for his own good," he muttered, reaching under the couch and grabbing the magazine he had stashed underneath it when he had heard Bakura come in. He flipped through it, staring idly at the pictures of eighteen- to twenty-year-old women wearing little to no clothing. He stopped at a random picture. The young woman in the picture was lying flat on her back on a sandy landscape, presumably a beach. Her feet were crossed at the ankles and her arms were stretched above her head. She wore a bikini bottom and her long black hair cascaded over her chest, leaving very little to the imagination. Akefia stared at the picture in boredom. The magazine had excited him when he had first bought it, but the more he looked at it, the less it interested him.

"They're not real people," he thought, flipping the page, revealing another woman holding a pair of kittens in front of where her breasts were. "I need a girlfriend." A light voice startled him out of his muse.

"I forgot, the phone's been cut off. May I please use your cell- _What_ are you _reading_?" Akefia quickly closed the magazine and shoved it underneath the couch.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Ryou stared at him, his cheeks bright red.

"Well," he said, trying to keep his voice light. "It looks like Bakura's not the only one who has a secret he doesn't want to share."

"Ryou, I haven't gotten laid since I was eighteen. I haven't had a girlfriend since I was sixteen. I'm _allowed_ to stare longingly at half-naked women as I think about what I don't have."

"You looked more bored than longing to me. Maybe if you want a girlfriend, you could try online dating," Ryou suggested. Akefia snorted.

"I'm single, not desperate," he muttered. "You know what kind of creepers lurk around those sites?"

"Not really," Ryou admitted. "I've heard things at school, but we don't really watch too much television. Especially since the cable got shut off." Akefia shook his head in mock pity.

"Poor, innocent; sheltered Ryou. The people on those online dating sites you've heard so many good things about are the kind of people who would love to find out where I live, break in, kill me, steal everything I own and then rape my adorable, innocent cousin who came out to see what was going on." Ryou's eyes widened. Akefia smirked. "So, you wanted to borrow my cell phone?"

"N-no, that's okay. She'll find out you're here when she gets home, I suppose..."

"That's what I thought. Could you hand me the remote?"

"Um... We don't have tv anymore. The cable was cut off last week. And the phones were shut off yesterday."

Akefia squinted at his younger cousin. He hadn't quite noticed how skinny Ryou appeared to be. The boy was naturally skinny, but he had gotten thinner since Akefia had seen him last, which was saying a lot. He recalled the way Ryou had been staring fervently at a box of cream puffs earlier, looking like he desperately wanted to take one but didn't dare.

"You're in a lot of trouble, aren't you?" Ryou looked at the ground.

"Unless Mum gets her next two paychecks by tomorrow...we're going to lose our apartment and have to leave Domino."

* * *

**Fail chapter is fail. I apologize.**

**Akefia's such a good role model. In addition to dropping out of college because it was too hard, he's also a pervert.**

**I kind of went with an idea that xXI. Hate .TwilightXx gave me a loooooong time ago. I told her I was thinking of bringing Akefia into the story somehow, and she suggested it being that Bakura's cousin came to town. I was originally going to have him show up in Egypt, but that nonexistent plotline with the Millennium Items in Egypt was going nowhere, so I just stuck him in here.**

**That thing where Bakura called his father a "sperm donor" comes from my friend. Her parents are divorced and her mother calls her father the "sperm donor." When she told me about that, I asked, "Can I use that in one of my stories?" Been waiting to use it forever.**

**R&R, please.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I wanted to post this yesterday, I really did. But for the past week or so, I have had zero motivation to get up and actually **_**write**_** something. I think I have a bad case of the summertime lazies. I just wanna veg out all day and stay up all night doing nothing. But I had to get this up before Saturday, because I didn't want to spend my sixteenth birthday worrying about updating my fanfiction. So I finally decided to get up off my butt and do something. I'm hoping that the chapters will come easier since Marik's coming back this chapter.**

* * *

Marik stared out the window of the van, fidgeting in his seat.

"Are we there yet?" he blurted out.

"Well, since it has been all of five minutes since you last asked...No!" Odion replied.

"How much longer?"

"Ten minutes, tops. Give or take a few red lights."

Marik slumped back in his seat, resting his forehead against the window.

"What's got you in such a hurry, anyway?" Odion asked.

"He just wants to go see _Bakura_," Malik said, grinning. Marik's face flushed.

"It's not that! It's just...it's really hot in here!" he complained, wiping his forehead dramatically to emphasize his point. Malik rolled his violet eyes at the display.

"I kind of think that sixty-five degrees is fairly comfortable after spending a week in one-hundred degree weather with ninety-five percent humidity."

Marik pouted, ignoring his twin's commentand staring out the window.

"How much longer now, Odion?" The older man sighed, clearly annoyed at this point.

"Eight minutes."

Marik groaned before he could stop himself. His mother turned around to look at him.

"Marik, do you just want to get out now and go to Bakura's apartment?" she asked. Marik looked up, hopeful.

"Can I?"

"Of course you can. Hank, pull over."

Glancing in the rearview mirror at his youngest son, Mr. Ishtar pulled the van over to the curb. Marik scrambled for the door.

"Marik." The teen paused.

"Yeah, Dad?" Mr. Ishtar regarded his son with a stern expression.

"Don't stay there too long, or I'll send your brother after you. And don't do anything you'll wind up regretting."

"Y-yes, sir." Marik quickly climbed out of the van and watched it drive off. His father had been becoming more and more strict lately, for reasons Marik didn't understand. But he didn't want to worry about that now. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Bakura's number.

He heard an odd buzzing noise, a click, and then a computerized voice:

"We're sorry. The number you have reached is currently unavailable. Please hang up and try your call again at a later date."

Marik frowned. That was strange. Maybe he had dialed the number wrong in his hurry. He hit the "End Call" button on his phone and carefully dialed again, rechecking the number before he hit "Call". He heard the same strange buzzing and the same computerized voice.

"We're sorry. The number you have reached-"

Marik snapped his phone shut, cutting the voice off mid-sentence. This wasn't making any sense.

"_Maybe his phone's broken," _he thought. "_I'll try his cell phone."_

He reopened his phone and hit speed dial number two. He let out a small laugh of relief when it started ringing. After a couple second, Bakura picked up.

"I can't talk too long, Marik," was his greeting. Marik raised one eyebrow at the blunt comment. It had hurt his feelings slightly, but he brushed it off.

"Hello to you, too," he replied.

"Sorry. I'm a little stressed out."

"What's wrong?"

"Tell you later. Why'd you - For God's sake, back off!" Marik blinked in surprise until he realized Bakura was shouting at someone on the other end of the line. "Sorry. Why'd you call?"

"What's going on over there?"

"Nothing. I took care of it. Why'd you call?"

"Well, I'm back in town, and I was wondering-"

"Why you aren't here yet? I was just wondering that same thing."

Marik laughed.

"I've over right now, 'Kura," he said, smiling. He was the only person other than Ryou who was allowed to call Bakura by a nickname. But whenever Ryou used a nickname, it was because he was upset with Bakura, or because he was teasing him. Marik used a nickname - or petname or whatever people called them - because he loved Bakura. He knew that he always would, no matter what his parents said.

"Good. I'll be waiting." Marik could hear the smirk in Bakura's voice and felt his heart skip a beat.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, then," he said. "Bye." He shut his phone and grinned broadly. His vacation had been fun, but the best part was knowing that he would come home to see Bakura. He gripped the plastic bag he was carrying, praying that Bakura would like what Marik had brought back for him. He still wasn't sure what had made him choose to buy the strange item, but it just felt like something he had to do.

He paused briefly before crossing the street. He ran quickly, wondering how much the people in the cars would get paid if they ran him over. He shook his head slightly, brushing the depressing thought off. He was going to see his boyfriend. He didn't have time to think like that.

After a few minutes, Bakura's apartment building came into view. Marik grinned, picking up his pace slightly. There was a figure standing in front of the building. Someone wearing a blue-and-white striped t-shirt and had long white hair. Marik felt his heart rate increase significantly.

"Bakura!" he called. The figure turned. Marik started running. "Bakura!"

He could see the grin on his boyfriend's face as he ran forwards until he was finally back in Bakura's arms. Bakura held him tightly and Marik hugged him back.

"I missed you, Bakura," he said. Bakura smiled.

"I missed you, too, Marik," he said, kissing the top of Marik's head. Marik smiled. This is where he belonged. With Bakura. "Did you have a good time in Egypt?"

"You mean, when I wasn't pining for you to be there with me? Yes, I did have a good time. I'm glad to be back, though. There's only so much sand and sun a boy can take." Bakura laughed, his gaze falling down to the plastic bag that Marik was holding. He raised one eyebrow.

"What's in the bag?"

"Oh, right." Marik opened the bag. "I got you a souvenir." He reached into the bag and pulled out the strange pendant. It looked even weirder out in the sunlight, out of the dim light of the store. "I don't know if you'll like it or not, but I thought I'd get it for you." Bakura took the pendant and stared at it.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's some kind of pendant. It's supposed to be a replica of an Egyptian artifact of some kind, but I've never seen anything like it in any history books or anything, so I'm not sure." Marik frowned slightly, worried. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I do, it just...looks familiar, somehow." Bakura shrugged and slipped the pendant over his neck. He blinked. It was heavier around his neck than he expected, but not so much that he would take it off. It felt warm through his shirt, which he found strange, but brushed it off as the metal heating up on a warm day. It seemed oddly like he had found a long-lost friend when he put it on. Like some missing part inside of him had finally been found and reunited with him. He smiled at Marik.

"Thanks. I really like it." He wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller boy, and pulled him close, kissing the top of his head. Marik smiled and nuzzled his head against Bakura's chest.

"Then I'm glad I bought it for you," he said. He opened his eyes slightly. A few people passing by were watching them, either uncomfortable or loathing. Marik felt uncomfortable.

"Bakura?" he said. "Could we go up to your apartment? There are people watching." Bakura's grip tightened. He seemed to be debating something.

"I guess so," he said reluctantly.

"Are you okay?" Marik asked, slightly worried.

"Yeah, it's just...family's visiting."

"Your dad?"

"No...my cousin. He's even worse."

"Worse than your dad who beat you up when you were little and eventually abandoned you without any word whatsoever?"

"...Okay, he's not as bad, but he's still pretty bad. Come on, let's go." Bakura took Marik's hand and walked into the building. When they reached his apartment, he reached for the key, only to have the door open and Ryou step out.

"Hello, Marik," he said, smiling slightly. "How was your vacation?"

"It was fun, but I'm glad to be back."

"That's good." Ryou glanced at Bakura. "Mum's gone job-hunting again. I don't think it'll do much good, but she wanted to try." Bakura sighed.

"Alright. Where are you going?"

"Well, I wanted to go ask Yugi if I could borrow that movie," Ryou said, looking down. "It kind of makes me think about what's going on right now. I need a boost, and I figure that if they can achieve a happy ending, maybe we can too." Bakura shook his head.

"Life is not a fairy tale or a Broadway musical or a Hollywood movie, Ryou. Sometimes, happy endings just don't happen." Ryou kicked at the ground with the toe of his sneaker.

"It never hurts to hope for a happy ending, Bakura," he whispered. Bakura rolled his eyes and edged past his brother into the apartment.

"Ryou, I lost hope a long time ago. Let go of the childish ideas and move on," he said, closing the door. Marik raised an eyebrow at him.

"What was _that_ about?"

"Nothing."

"Were you just saying that I'm not a happy ending?"

"No, Marik, you aren't a happy ending." The tanned boy gaped at his boyfriend, mouth hanging open in shock.

"Wha-?" he started. Bakura grinned and pulled Marik into his arms.

"You are a happy beginning and a _phenomenal _ending," he said. Marik blinked, then smiled slowly.

"I guess I can live with that, then," he said, wrapping his arms around Bakura's neck and kissing the tip of his nose. Bakura smirked and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"_Hate_ to interrupt this," came a voice from the doorway to the next room. "But if you two are going to bang in the middle of the entryway, at least give me fair warning so I can decide if I want to listen in or not."

Bakura stepped away from Marik and glared at the man leaning against the wall.

"Fuck off, Akefia."

"Trust me, I am not the person I thought was going to be doing any fucking." Akefia glanced at Marik, his gaze trailing up and down the boy's body. "Jeez, when you said you didn't have a girlfriend, I didn't think that meant you had a boyfriend. But I gotta hand it to you, Baku-chan. You sure know how to pick them."

Marik crossed his arms in front of his chest, uncomfortable with the older man's probing gaze. Bakura stepped in front of him protectively.

"Stop ogling my boyfriend. Go read your magazine and keep your perverted thoughts to yourself."

"Oh, so you're just going to send me away without an introduction? How low can you honestly stoop, Baku-chan?" Bakura let out a low growl.

"Marik, this lazy, good-for-nothing, piece of sexual harasser is, unfortunately, my cousin, Akefia, who dropped out of college because he was lazy and got evicted from his apartment because he can't hold down a job. Akefia, this is my boyfriend, Marik. Stop staring at his ass." Akefia brought his gaze up to meet Bakura's and smirked.

"Why, did you already claim it as your own? You're a naughty little child, aren't you, Baku-chan?"

"Stop calling me that." Bakura took Marik's hand and pushed past his cousin, starting for his bedroom. Marik flinched slightly when he thought he felt the older man feel his butt as he walked past.

"Bakura, what is up with him?" he whispered.

"He's mad because he doesn't have a girlfriend and apparently has too many sexual cravings to control. Just ignore him."

"O-okay..." Marik wasn't entirely convinced, but relaxed a little when Bakura ushered him into the bedroom and closed the door. He sat down on the slightly messier bed, which he assumed was Bakura's. Bakura sat down next to him.

"Sorry about him. He invited himself to live with us."

"It's fine. I have to put up with Malik on a daily basis. I think I can handle being around this guy for a few hours." Bakura laughed and leaned down to kiss Marik. Marik closed his eyes and moved closer to Bakura. Bakura pulled back slightly.

"I missed you, Marik," he murmured, running the tip of his nose down Marik's jawline. Marik shivered slightly.

"M-me, too. I missed you, too, 'Kura," he replied as Bakura nuzzled his face into his neck and kissed him there. He felt his heart rate speed up as Bakura carefully placed on hand on his knee. He pulled Bakura's face away from his neck and pressed their lips together. _God_, did he miss this. Being with Bakura, who didn't care that Marik was the least popular kid in school who had more people than he could count out for his blood. As long as he had Bakura, Marik didn't care about any of that.

Bakura leaned forward, pushing Marik down onto the bed. Marik squirmed a little, but didn't protest. This was a normal occurrence for the two of them. They would start hanging out, and before too long they would be making out. Marik didn't mind, on the contrary, he actually liked it. And Bakura had never shown any signs of wanting to go further, so, as usual, Marik let his guard fall and melted into their kiss. Bakura moved up slightly, so his hips were pressed against Marik's. _That_ got Marik's attention. He opened his eyes and stared up at Bakura.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Bakura simply smiled.

"Trust me," was his only reply. Marik was still slightly suspicious, but he hadn't seen Bakura in a while, so he wrapped his arms around the pale boy's neck and pulled him down so that their lips connected again. Bakura reached up and cupped Marik's cheek, pushing his tongue into the tanned boy's mouth. Marik squirmed. He still wasn't used to the feeling of having someone else's tongue in his mouth. On a good day, Bakura could usually coax him into playing for a little while, but Marik would always pull away first. Such was the case today.

Now that his mouth was unoccupied, Bakura leaned down and kissed Marik's neck, running his tongue along the caramel colored flesh. Marik gasped and gripped Bakura's hair. Bakura chuckled into the crook of his neck.

"You like that?" he asked, kissing Marik's neck again. Marik nodded.

"I like _you_," he whispered. Bakura smiled.

"I _love _you," he replied, kissing the tip of Marik's nose. Marik wrinkled the feature adorably, hoping it would distract from the deep red blush he was now sporting.

"'Kura, I-" Marik cut off as Bakura suddenly slipped a hand under his shirt. His eyes widened. Bakura kissed him again, trying to gain entrance to his mouth, but Marik shook his head.

"Bakura, what are you-"

"Just trust me, Marik," Bakura interrupted. He ran his hand along Marik's abs, trying to distract him as his other hand began to fiddle with the other's belt. Marik's eyes widened and he realized what Bakura was planning. Well, they had been dating for a while. Maybe it was time for them to- No! No, dammit, he was _not_ ready for this yet! He had just found out how it was possible for them to sleep together, he was still trying to get used to the idea! But, Bakura wanted it... No, Marik had to say something. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready. He just had to say that and Bakura would stop...

"Marik, are you okay?" Bakura had noticed the way his boyfriend was staring at nothing with wide, frightened eyes, the way his breathing was coming out through his teeth in sharp hisses, and the way he was gripping the sheets as if his life depended on it. "Marik?" The violet eyed boy blinked and looked at Bakura. He slowly released the bed sheets and sat up, pushing Bakura back as he did so. He stared straight into Bakura's eyes.

"I'm sorry, 'Kura," he said. "But...I can't. I'm not ready." Bakura blinked. Somehow, when he was running through this scenario in his head, Marik refusing him had never crossed his mind.

"But...I want you," he said, as if this would make Marik suddenly decide to tear off all his clothes. Instead, the other teen looked at the floor.

"I know. I'm sorry. But...I'm still trying to get used to the whole concept. I just...I can't. Not yet."

Bakura sighed, leaning forward to nuzzle Marik's hair.

"Okay," he said, although his disappointment was evident in his voice. "If you aren't ready, then I won't force you. I'll wait. No matter how long it takes." Marik smiled and nuzzled Bakura back.

"Thank you, Bakura," he said softly. "I'm sorry I can't-"

"Shh. It's okay. I understand." Bakura wrapped his arms around Marik and gently stroked his hair. Marik closed his eyes, nestling again Bakura's chest. _This_ is the sort of thing he liked to do best with Bakura. The moments when no words were needed, body language was all it took. It made him feel so close to his boyfriend. At first glance, Bakura didn't seem to be a cuddler, but Marik had quickly learned that he did have a sensitive side. A sensitive side that only Marik was able to bring out.

Marik suddenly felt tired. _Very _tired. He just wanted to lie down and sleep for as long as he could. Something about jet lag niggled in the back of his mind, but he couldn't think right now. He felt himself lulled further into sleep by Bakura now rubbing his back. He yawned and nuzzled against Bakura's chest, on the verge of sleep.

He was dimly aware of being laid down and being covered with a sheet. He felt the bed shift next to him and felt arms wrap around his waist. He let out a content sigh as Bakura nuzzled the back of his neck.

"Go to sleep, Marik," he whispered. "Dream of happy endings for us."

* * *

**Argh, why am I still awake? I can barely type anymore. I gotta go to bed...**

**Yeah, I have no clue what the jet lag's like from Egypt to Japan, if there even is any.**

**What is the point of this chapter, you ask? I'll tell you. ... ... ...Um... It is Marik and Bakura reunited after Marik's trip. That is the point of this chapter. And it did NOT want me to write it! I had to read a million thiefshipping fanfics to get this chapter out! It did not want to be written. Hence the crappiness. I can't wait till this thing is out of the way so that I can focus on "the Good, the Bad, and the British."**

**R&R, please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I was going to wait a couple of days to update this, but I had an idea for this chapter that I didn't want to forget. So, yeah, early update, yay! *insert golf claps here* Enjoy.**

* * *

Ryou shoved his hands into his pockets as he trudged along the streets. He hated to admit it, but maybe Bakura was actually right. Maybe happy endings really didn't exist. Maybe they really did only exist in fantasy. Maybe his family never would be happy. Maybe they were destined to suffer. He shook his head sharply. These pessimistic thoughts weren't like him.

"Maybe Mr. Sprutzenheimer will give us a little more time for the rent. Maybe if we explain to him that Mum got laid off, he'd give us a little more time to get the money to him." Ryou smiled to himself. "It wouldn't hurt to have Akefia talk to him, too. He has this way of...frightening people."

Ryou chuckled at the mental picture of his cousin standing in front of a trembling building manager, asking politely to move the date up so that the Touzokou's could have a bit more time to get the rent money paid. He was starting to cheer up a little. He just needed to think more positive thoughts. What did Bakura know about happy endings, anyway? He had found someone he actually cared about, and he didn't consider that a happy ending? Insane.

He was so consumed in his own thoughts, he almost didn't hear footfalls following in nearly perfect unison with his own. Frowning slightly, he paused. The footsteps paused with him. He started walking again, a little faster. The footsteps started up, matching the pace. Now rather frightened, Ryou started running. He was just a few blocks away from Yugi's place. He just had to keep running.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to an abrupt halt. He staggered backwards as he was yanked back into a narrow alley, barely wide enough to fit the two people it now occupied. Ryou tried to jump out of the alley, but a hard punch to his stomach knocked the wind out of him. He dropped to his knees, gasping as a sharp kick was placed in the soft, fleshy part just under his ribcage. He tried to gulp air into his desperate lungs as he clutched the bruise. A rough hand grasped his collar and yanked him up, forcing him against the wall. Ryou's eyes widened at the sight of his attacker.

"Kaiba? What are you-"

"Shut up." Another hard punch was delivered to his chest. Ryou cried out, and a harsh slap was delivered across his face.

"I said to shut the hell up." Through the haze of pain, Ryou heard something...odd in Kaiba's voice. It seemed to be strangely slurred.

"Kaiba, are...are you _drunk_?" For some reason, Ryou wasn't surprised by this. Unfortunately, this was the wrong thing to say. Kaiba grasped a handful of Ryou's long hair and yanked his head back. Ryou winced as his skull smacked against the brick wall he was pressed against.

"Not too good at listenin' to your betters, are you, you little punk?" Kaiba yelled. "I told you to shut up, so..." He lifted his knee sharply to Ryou's groin, causing the smaller boy to groan and fall to his knees. "You'd better damn well shut up." Ryou staggered to his feet.

"Kaiba, please. You aren't thinking straight. You should-"

"_Straight?_ You mean like what your brother told me he was when he decided he wanted to be good enough to hang with me? Hah!" A slow smirk made it's way onto Kaiba's crazed features. "But he made the mistake of letting his baby brother out alone."

"_He's insane,"_ Ryou thought. _"It may or may not be the alcohol, but he's crazy. I need to get away from here. Gotta get to Yugi's, call the police-"_

Ryou's thoughts were abruptly cut off as his chin was grabbed with a harsh hand and tilted upward roughly.

"Make a sound," Kaiba growled. "And I'll kill you." As if to prove his point, he pulled a large knife out of his pocket and pressed it against Ryou's neck. Ryou gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, only to open them wide when Kaiba pressed their lips together.

Seto Kaiba, the most homophobic person in Domino City, maybe even all of Japan, was actually _kissing_ another boy.

...Another very _straight_ boy.

Finding his strength, Ryou shoved Kaiba away and wiped his mouth.

"_What_ are you_ doing_?" he yelled. "I can understand if you're confused about your sexuality, but that is no way to experiment, Kaiba! You find someone who _isn't_ straight, and you actually get their _consent_ before you-" Ryou was cut off as he was shoved against the wall again. Too late, Ryou realized that he probably should have taken the opportunity to run when Kaiba was dazed.

"I told you to _shut the fuck up_," Kaiba growled, pressing his knife harder against Ryou's throat. Ryou flinched as the sharp blade pierced his skin, forming a thin, shallow cut. Kaiba grabbed onto Ryou's hair and yanked his head back, smacking it against the wall. Over. And over. And over. Ryou felt something sticky in his hair and knew that he was bleeding. How much, he didn't know, all he knew was that his legs couldn't seem to support his body weight any longer. Groaning, he dropped to his knees. Kaiba glared down at him, kicking him sharply in the side so he would turn over. The brunette stomped painfully on Ryou's chest.

"Little bitch," he muttered. "Better off if he was dead." The teenage billionaire lifted his arm into the air, the knife glinting in the sunlight. Ryou raised his arms up in a desperate attempt to deflect the blow. Either it worked, or Kaiba was much more drunk than he had expected, because the blade sliced through his right arm instead of his throat. Blood spurted from the deep wound and Ryou clutched it in an attempt to stem the blood flow. Kaiba kicked Ryou in the ribs again.

"If you tell anyone about this, your entire family will _never_ step foot in my city again! Am I understood?"

Ryou whimpered, barely able to stay conscious. He just hoped Kaiba would leave so that he could get somewhere safe before he passed out...

"Tch. What a weakling." This was the last thing Ryou heard before a kick to the back of the head rendered him unconscious.

* * *

Marik blinked open his eyes, yawning. For a few heart-stopping seconds, he didn't know where he was. Then he remembered. He was at Bakura's place and had fallen asleep. He sat up. How long had he been asleep? His family must be frantic by now.

"You're awake." Marik looked towards the window. Bakura was staring out at the street, arms crossed, a concerned expression on his face. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine. What time is it?"

"Six," Bakura answered, not looking away from the window. Marik's eyes widened.

"Six?" he cried, jumping off the bed.

"Well, quarter after six now."

"Shit," Marik muttered. "My parents are gonna ground me for a year!" Bakura smirked, but still didn't look at Marik.

"I thought you were already grounded for eternity."

"I am, but now they're gonna add year onto that."

Bakura muttered something that Marik didn't hear. But he did notice the way Bakura had been staring fixedly out the window through the entire conversation. He walked up behind Bakura and wrapped his arms around the pale boy's waist.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, resting his head on Bakura's shoulder.

"Ryou's not back yet." Marik frowned.

"He isn't?"

"No, he's not. And when I called Yugi on my cell phone, he told me Ryou had never even shown up." Bakura's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm worried. Ryou isn't very strong and isn't the fastest runner. If something happened to him..."

"We need to go out and look for him, Bakura," Marik said. "If he never got to Yugi's place, then something must've happened to him." Bakura was silent for a few moments.

"You should get home. I'll go look for Ryou."

"Bakura, Ryou's my best friend. I want to help." Bakura sighed and looked at the other teenager. "Please?" Marik asked, taking Bakura's hand and staring straight into his eyes. Bakura stared back for a few seconds before lowering his gaze and sighing.

"Fine. But don't blame me if you get in trouble with your parents."

Marik smiled. Bakura never was able to say no to him.

"Thanks, 'Kura," he said. Bakura nodded and started for the bedroom door. Marik followed.

"Akefia, we're going out to search for Ryou," Bakura muttered in the general direction of the couch where his cousin was lounging. The older man looked up.

"He's missing?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Bakura bit back a growl.

"Just call my cell phone if he comes back," he said. "I assume I can trust you to do that much."

"Aye-aye, little man," Akefia replied sarcastically. "You know, it got pretty quiet in there. What were you two doing?" Bakura glared at his cousin and continued for the door. Akefia winked at Marik. "Is Baku-chan treating you well, honey?" Marik felt his face heating up and knew that he was probably beet-red, despite his tan.

Bakura turned around so fast that Marik almost bumped into him. The pale teen's eyes were flashing dangerously, and Marik was grateful that it wasn't him that Bakura was mad at.

"Listen, Akefia. I put up with a lot of your shit. Not because I want to, because I have to. But continue to flirt with my boyfriend, and I will forget that you were ever my cousin, and I will _personally_ kick you out of my home, make sure you _never_ get another job, and force you to live every waking minute in constant torment and anguish." Akefia held up his hands in a mocking surrendering position.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Baku-chan. I'll leave your property alone."

"Marik is _not_ my 'property'! If you want to get laid so badly, get out of my apartment and find a goddamn girlfriend!" Bakura shouted. He grabbed Marik's hand and yanked him out of the apartment. He stormed down the stairs so fast that Marik could barely keep up.

"Bakura...slow down!" he said, stumbling slightly. Bakura paused on the bottom step and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Marik," he said. "He just makes me so mad that I lose it sometimes." Marik smiled sympathetically and wrapped his arms around Bakura's waist.

"It's okay, 'Kura," he said. Bakura hugged him back, tightly.

"No, it isn't. When he talks to you like that...I just..."

Marik smiled and kissed Bakura lightly.

"Don't worry. I've got you around to protect me. He wouldn't try anything."

"Right..." Bakura said, staring hard at Marik, frowning slightly. He slowly raised one arm and placed his hand on top of his head, muttering to himself. Marik frowned.

"Um...what are you doing, Bakura?" Bakura dropped his hand and crossed his arms.

"You're taller than me. When did that happen? I used to be taller then you."

"Oh...um...I must've had a growth spurt or something in Egypt," Marik said. He honestly hadn't noticed before, but now he realized that he was a few inches taller than Bakura. He was secretly delighted that he would no longer have to look up to look at Bakura's face, but his boyfriend was evidently not so thrilled, as he shoved his hand sin his pockets and started walking away.

"H-hey!" Marik called, running to catch up. "Come on, you're not gonna get all pouty because I'm just a couple inches taller than you, are you?" Bakura didn't respond. Marik poked him playfully in the side. "Come on, 'Kura. Smile for me." When Bakura still didn't respond, Marik smacked him on the back of the head. "Say something, god dammit!" Bakura smiled slightly, then chuckled.

"You're so cute when you get mad," he said. Marik glared at him.

"Well, I'm not trying to be cute, I'm trying to be mad! So stop laughing at me!" Bakura laughed harder.

"I'm sorry, Marik. I just can't take you seriously when you're trying to be mad." Marik grumbled something and stared at the ground, fighting back a smile as Bakura linked their fingers together. "Come on, let's try to find Ryou."

"Yeah, you're right."

* * *

The next twenty minutes were spent wandering around the area between Bakura's apartment and Yugi's house, calling for Ryou and searching. More than once, the thought of not finding him would cross their minds and they would continue searching at full force. Finally, Marik sat down on the ground.

"Bakura, what if we can't find him?"

"We have to," Bakura said.

"But what if we _can't_?" Before Bakura could respond, Marik looked up and his eyes widened.

"Bakura, what's going on?" he asked, pointing at Bakura's chest. Bakura followed his gaze. The pendant he was still wearing was starting to glow, the prongs trembling as they lifted up and appeared to point. Both boys were completely speechless. Bakura yanked the pendant off, but it continued to glow and point. Frowning, Bakura turned in the opposite direction. The glow faded and the prongs fell limp. He pivoted back to the way they had been pointing. It began glowing once again.

"It's this way," he said to Marik. "Come on." He started walking slowly in the direction the pendant was leading them. Occasionally, the glow would start to fade and Bakura would have to turn slowly until it would glow again. The glow progressively got brighter, until it was so bright the teens could hardly look at it, and the prongs were trembling so hard that Bakura expected them to fly off at any second.

"He's close," he murmured. "He must be." He glanced around, but didn't see his brother anywhere. "Where is he?" A flash of white caught his eye. He turned to the alley that it had come from. "Come on," he said to Marik, heading for the alley. Marik followed slowly.

"Bakura, are you sure..." Marik's voice died in his throat at the sight before him.

Ryou was lying on the ground, unmoving. Neither of them could tell if he was simply unconscious or, even worse, dead. Dried blood was caked in his hair and he was curled up in a fetal position, apparently trying to protect his vitals from being injured. The scene reminded both boys of something similar that had happened in an alley, not even a year ago.

Marik turned away, slapping a hand over his mouth and trying not to be sick, as Bakura dropped his pendant to the ground and ran to his brother. He crouched down next to the slightly smaller boy and gently lifted him into a half-sitting position, trying to ignore the sense of deja-vu that was crashing down on him.

"Ryou? Ryou, do you hear me?" There was no response. "Ryou, god dammit, answer me!" Marik, somewhat over the initial shock, knelt next to Bakura and placed one hand on Ryou's chest. His chest was rising and falling rapidly with each breath he took, and his heart was beating faintly.

"Bakura, we need to get him to a hospital." Bakura's jaw clenched and he tightly shook his head.

"No. We just need to get him back to the apartment and bandage this wound on his head. He'll be fine."

"Bakura, he needs a doctor! We have to take him to the hospital right now!"

"No, we don't!"

"Bakura!" Marik shouted. "Think for once in your life! This is _not_ something we can handle! I knew you were selfish, but I didn't think you would ever put your own brother's life on the line because you were too proud to admit that you actually need help!"

"Shut _up_!" Marik stumbled backwards as Bakura thrust his fist at his jaw. He stared at his boyfriend with wide eyes. Bakura was glaring at him, still holding up his brother. "God dammit, Marik, I can't _afford_ to take him to a hospital! My family isn't rich, like yours is! We can't afford fancy vacations to places like Egypt, hell, unless my mother gets an increase in her paycheck and gets it by tomorrow, we won't even be able to afford our own _home_! There, are you happy now? Now you know that your boyfriend's a loser." Marik stared at Bakura in shock, mouth hanging open slightly. Bakura's glare softened and he looked back down at Ryou.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean that."

"Bakura-"

"Come on. We need to get him back to the apartment." Bakura stood up, supporting Ryou with one arm. Marik stood up shakily and wrapped one of Ryou's arms around his shoulder, helping Bakura hold him up.

"Got him?" Bakura asked. Marik nodded. "Good. Let's get going."

* * *

It took longer than it should have, but eventually they got back to Bakura's apartment. Marik stopped before they went in.

"Bakura," he said firmly. "If you refuse to take Ryou to the hospital, then at least let me call my brother." Bakura glanced at him.

"What the hell is Malik going to-"

"Not Malik. Odion. He's going to medical school, and he'll be able to help." Bakura sighed.

"Fine. Call him when we get Ryou inside."

Bakura tugged his key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. With some difficulty, the two teens managed to get into the apartment. Akefia glanced over at them and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We found him this way," Bakura snapped. "Oh, don't bother getting up, we've got it covered."

"Do you need me to call an ambulance or something?" Akefia asked as Marik and Bakura started to take Ryou into the bedroom.

"Marik's going to call his older brother to take care of it, so don't bother."

Together, Marik and Bakura laid Ryou on his bed and pulled the covers over him. Marik pulled out his cell phone and called home.

"...Odion? It's me. I- ...Yes, I'm fine, I just fell asleep. I- ...I know, I know, Mom and Dad are going to ground me. I- ...Odion, I need your help! Ryou was going to Yugi's, but he didn't come back, so Bakura and I went to find him, and...well, he's hurt really bad, Odion, but we can't get him to a hospital. Can you please come over and help? ...Please, Odion! We can't handle this on our own! ...Thanks, Odion. I owe you." Marik snapped his cell phone shut. "Odion's on his way, Bakura," he said. "He says he'll be over in a few minutes."

"Good," Bakura said, glancing at the bruise on Marik's jaw briefly. He cringed inwardly. "About earlier, Marik ...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper. It's just...it reminded me so much of last year..."

"I know, 'Kura. You don't have to apologize to me. I understand." Marik smiled and hugged Bakura. "But I do want to know more about you not being able to pay the rent. You failed to mention that." Bakura sighed and rubbed Marik's back.

"I hate to say this, Marik, but..." He took a deep breath. "We're losing the apartment. We're leaving Domino."

Marik froze. He felt unbidden tears spring to his eyes at this news.

"Wh-what?" he whispered. "No...no, Bakura, you can't leave me! Without you, I..." He trailed off as tears fell from his eyes, landing on Bakura's shirt. Bakura stroked his back soothingly.

"I know, Marik," he said. "And believe me, I would do anything to stay here. I'd even rob a bank, if I had to. But there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry."

"Well, what if you came to stay with me? My family has a guest room. Malik and I could start sharing a room, and Ishizu's leaving for college in just a couple of weeks! We have room! Or...maybe I could get my parents to pay your rent for you and you could just pay us back later! Or, your dad! I know you don't like him, but I'm sure he'd help if you asked..."

"Marik." Bakura's voice was quiet. "Stop talking. Please. I'm not asking for handouts."

"I know you're not, Bakura, but you can't leave! Please! Don't leave me..." Marik stared at the ground, crying. Bakura took his hand and brought him over to his bed.

"Lay down for a little while," he said. "I don't want to leave, but unless we can get the money, or come up with something by tomorrow, I will be leaving."

Marik sat down on the bed, tears streaming down his face. Bakura placed a finger under his chin and tilted it up gently.

"Hey. Look at me," he said softly. "You know I'm going to try my best to convince my mother to find us another place here in Domino. But unless she can find a good job, we won't be able to. But, Marik, remember one thing. I love you. I always will love you and I'll come back for you someday. Do you understand?" Marik wiped his eyes on his shirt and nodded, a small smile crossing his features.

"I love you, too, 'Kura," he said. "And I'll wait as long as it takes for you to come back to me. I promise."

Bakura wrapped his arms around the slightly taller boy. Marik leaned up and kissed Bakura softly.

"I hope we can come up with something," he murmured. "I don't want you to leave me..." Bakura tightened his grip.

"I know, Marik. I know."

* * *

**Yeah, I bet no one saw that beginning coming. (Well, maybe the whole thing with Kaiba possibly being "in the closet", but definitely not the rest! Probably.) I enjoyed writing this chapter. Especially the part with Kaiba beating up Ryou. Even though I love Ryou so badly...*hugs Ryou* I'M SORRY RYRY-KUN! *cough* I just like writing violent scenes for some reason. Probably because I'm naturally a non-violent person, a pacifist, if you will, but writing violent scenes (that do not include death...yet.) that involve my favorite characters makes me feel powerful. I don't really know why. It's probably the effect chocolate mixed with Simple Plan has on my brain.**

**(P.S. On an off-note, new Naruto chapter with little teeny chibi baby Gaara...YES! Mostly just the parts with little teeny chibi baby Gaara, though. Because I do not like his father. Or his uncle or whoever the person is that tells Gaara that he was hated. But he was so cute as a little teeny chibi baby.)**

**R&R, please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey, ya'll, I was bored, and I wanted to get this chapter up before I left for vacation tmorrow. Disney World, here I come!**

* * *

Akefia didn't glanced up from his magazine as someone knocked on the door.

"Bakura! Door!" he called, flipping the page. _"I have _got_ to get some new reading material," _he thought. _"This has gotten so boring it isn't even funny anymore."_

Bakura came out of the bedroom with Marik following. The pale teen shot his cousin a pointed look.

"Is it really so hard to get up off of your butt and answer the door yourself?" he snapped.

"Well, I don't technically live here. If I answered the door, people would start to get confused and think they had the wrong address and then no one would visit you ever again because they wouldn't know where you lived and you'd die alone because no one ever came to see you."

Bakura raised one eyebrow at the speech.

"Get a girlfriend," he muttered, walking over to the door and opening it. Akefia glanced up as two people entered.

And fell in love.

Metaphorically speaking, that is. He certainly didn't believe in love at first sight, but if he did, he knew who he would choose for his first sight. Not the bald man, of course, Akefia certainly wasn't gay, no matter how much he flirted with his cousin's boyfriend. Whatever the kid's name was. Akefia fell in love with the girl who had accompanied the bald man. Long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, reaching her mid-back. Her grey-blue eyes glanced over him, her nose crinkled slightly in distaste as she glimpsed the magazine he held. She turned away and refused to make eye contact with him as she followed the bald man into Bakura's bedroom. Akefia mentally kicked himself for being seen holding the magazine by such an extraordinary girl. He immediately dropped it and kicked it under the couch. Out of sight, out of mind, he figured.

"Bakura!" he hissed as the two teens sat on the couch next to him. "Who was _that_?" Bakura gave him a look that clearly said that Akefia had finally gone off the deep end.

"The bald guy? That's Odion, Marik's brother. We figured we'd call him to check on Ryou because he's going to medical school-"

"Not the bald guy! That girl! That beautiful girl!"

"That was Ishizu," Marik said. "My sister." He folded his arms across his chest and glared at Akefia. "Touch her, and you die."

Akefia smirked at the non-threatening threat delivered by the younger boy.

"I'm serious. Between me, my older brother, my twin brother, and my father, you'd be very lucky to survive."

"Marik, Bakura? Could you come in here for a second?" Odion asked, appearing next to the couch.

"Yeah. Come on, Marik." Bakura took Marik's hand and headed into the bedroom. Odion waited for them to leave before turning to glare at Akefia. He leaned closer to Bakura's cousin.

"Stay away from my sister," he growled. Akefia's eyes widened as the bald man stepped back and returned to the bedroom.

"That was possibly the weirdest and scariest thing that could ever happen to me," Akefia muttered as he retrieved his magazine from under the couch. But if the magazine had been dull before, it was flat-out stupid now. None of the women he saw in this, no matter how little clothing they were wearing, could even _begin_ to compare with the girl he had just seen. Unfortunately, just like with these pictures, she was untouchable. At least he knew her name.

"_Ishizu Touzokou..."_ he found himself thinking. He immediately shut down that train of thought. He did _not_ get into serious relationships. All they led to was trouble, more trouble, and then some more trouble.

"_Fear of commitment? What fear of commitment?" _he thought sarcastically. Since he was a teenager, he had broken up with several girls who were getting just a bit too "serious" for his liking. One girl had yelled at him in front of the entire school for never walking her to class, another girl gave him presents every week for their two-, three-, four-, etc-week "anniversary," hell, there had been this one girl who had given him a promise ring for his birthday, claiming that she would be his "first" and that "it wouldn't be until they were married" or some shit like that. That girl - whatever her name had been - hadn't been happy about being thrown out of her ex-boyfriend's house.

"_Maybe if the girls I dated weren't so batshit crazy, I wouldn't be so freaked out about it,_" he argued with himself.

"_It isn't their fault, and you know it."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I've never liked committing to anything, it's why and I can't hold down a job, or stay in college."_

"_We've had this discussion far too many times."_

"_I know. And to top it all of, now I'm schizophrenic!"_

Akefia smacked himself harshly. He wasn't schizophrenic, and he didn't have a fear of commitment. The voice in his head was too many years of looking at the same porno magazine and lack of communication with females. And as for his gamophobia**(1)**...he just couldn't stay tied down. That was it.

He glanced up as Odion, accompanied by Ishizu, walked back into the living room. Odion was carrying Ryou, still unconscious.

"Is he alright?" Akefia asked.

"No," Odion replied, heading for the door. "I'm taking him to the hospital."

"Do you need me to help with anything?" the college drop-out asked, glancing at Ishizu.

"No, thank you." He felt startled when she spoke, probably mainly because she was speaking to _him_. "We can take care of it." Her voice sounded like music, so soft and beautiful.

"Marik, stay here until I come back to get you. I don't want you walking home alone after this," Odion said, opening the door.

"Alright," Marik said, standing by the couch. "I understand. I wouldn't want to walk home by myself, anyways."

"We'll be back in half an hour at the latest," Ishizu said, following Odion out the door and shutting it. Akefia glanced at Marik.

"Your sister's hot," he said bluntly.

"She's off limits, especially to you," came the equally blunt answer. Akefia rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna touch your precious sister. I know better than that."

"Plus he's gamophobic. He couldn't hold down a relationship if he handcuffed himself to the girl," Bakura muttered, taking Marik's hand and pulling him back into the bedroom. Once they were in there with the door closed, Marik wrapped his arms tightly around Bakura's torso, finally allowing himself to cry. Bakura rubbed his boyfriend's back gently.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know."

"You're crushing my ribcage. It's difficult to breathe."

"I'm sorry," Marik said, making no move to let go. "I...I'm just scared that if I let go, you'll disappear." He let out a short laugh. "I know it's crazy, but I am." Bakura sighed.

"Marik, I told you, I won't be gone forever. I'll come back someday."

"That isn't good enough!" Marik cried. "Bakura, you know as damn well as I do that Kaiba did this to Ryou. If you leave, it could be even worse for me without you here to protect me."

"You think I don't know that, Marik? I know. And you know that if there was any way for me to stay-"

"There _is_ a way, goddammit! There's several ways! Move in with me, let my family help you, or ask your father for help! Dammit, Bakura, you _can't_ fix everything by yourself!" Marik glared at Bakura, eyes shining with unshed tears. Bakura met his gaze for a few seconds, before dropping his eyes to the floor.

"Damn," he muttered. "I hate when you do that."

"Do what? Try to talk some sense into your thick skull?"

"No. When you look at me like that. I can never say no, especially if you're crying." Bakura's face remained passive, but the tell-tale reddening of his cheeks told that he wasn't used to speaking to people in this sentimental, intimate way.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Bakura sighed. "That you win. I'll let my mother ask my father for help if it means I can stay here with you. But just this one time."

Marik smiled, hugging Bakura tightly once again, this time out of joy.

"Okay, okay, enough of that," Bakura said roughly. "I _do_ kind of need oxygen to live, Marik."

Marik released Bakura with a smile.

"Sorry, 'Kura," he said. "It's just...you have no idea how happy I am that I have you. If I didn't...I don't know what I'd do."

Bakura sighed, but his lips twitched up into a smile.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you, either," he said, kissing Marik gently. "But if this is going to work, we need to get rid of Kaiba somehow. Especially if he did that to Ryou."

"There's no 'if.' You and I both _know_ he did that to Ryou. But what can we do? He's got money, power, a whole city under his thumb, a gang of homophobes around every corner, he's got everything _we_ don't have." Bakura held out his arms and Marik stepped into them.

"We'll think of something," the pale teenager said. "We usually do, don't we?"

"Yes..." Marik said. "I just hope we can think of something before it's too late this time."

* * *

**(1) I **_**think**_** this is the name for fear of commitment (and marriage, as the website I found this on tells me) but if I'm wrong, please correct me.**

**Sorry it's so short. I'm leaving at 3 am, so I've gotta get to sleep soon. The next chapter will most likely be a bit longer and if it's not...free brownies for everyone!**

**Oh, one last thing: RIPSHIPPING! =D I love AkefiaXIshizu, I just had to add it in here.**

**R&R, please!**


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